Of Rubies and Diamonds
by Maori Karaera
Summary: Away from her home and with only a stranger to guide her, can a young outcast survive long enough to complete her orders? Or will uncertainty in purpose and romance leave her broken beyond repair? Murtagh x OC M for future chapters and profanity/violence.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It has been almost forty years since the great Eragon Shadeslayer destroyed Galbatorix and successfully ended the horrible tyrant's reign of terror, and in that time Alagaësa had flourished under the High Queen Nasuada's rule.

A new breed of Riders has arisen, spearheaded by the joint leadership of Arya Dröttningu, and Eragon Shadeslayer. A new breed I was blessed to be able to join.

My dragon, Ninaru, and I, Tae of the Forgotten People, were thrown into the world of the Dragon Riders when I was a mere fourteen years old. It has been six years since the hatching of Ninaru and our life has not proven to be uneventful. Be it in the discrimination shown by my peers, or the missions we are sent upon with our masters Traegan Rolendis, and Abraeil Fireclaws.

I am grateful for the many opportunities this new life has granted me and my people, but there are times when I find myself wishing that I could return to my simple home and my simple way of life. Times when I wish my ever flaw and every wrong doing were not on display for the entire world to see…


	2. Chapter 1 : Secrets

**Chapter One : Secrets**

Tae's eyes opened sluggishly at the gentle prodding of another's consciousness. _Ninaru?_ She questioned her dragon, slightly irritated at being awoken; an irritation that quickly dissipated at the sense of urgency flowing through their link.

_Something has happened in Alagaësa. The elders have gone to council._ The dragon replied, his words striking Tae's curiosity.

_Something bad I assume from your behavior.._ The young woman mused to her partner, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed and shoving them into the flat soled, leather riding boots sitting on the floor. Not bothering with throwing anything else on clothe-wise other than the cloth pants and thin tunic which she slept in, the Rider hurried out the thick wooden door of her disproportionately small bedchamber. _Where are you, Ninaru?_ She received an image of lush grasslands rolling quickly beneath her. He wasn't far; the grasslands he showed her were only a few miles away. A short flight for a dragon. _Will you meet me in the courtyard? I want to find out what's going on…_

Tae felt a tendril of amusement from the dragon and the question passed between them without words. _I am already on my way, little bird. _Came the dragon's warm reply, his deep voice laden with affection and understanding.

With that brief encounter, their link was partially severed – though both made sure to keep a small tendril of emotion and absent thought connecting them to the other – and Tae shoved back against her door until the latch caught, sprinting down the torch lit corridor as if a Shade were on her heels.

A few moments later another, smaller consciousness brushed against her mind, small and languid as if just having woken up. _**You left.**_ A voice said, managing to sound bored and lazily curious at the same time. Tae didn't reply but she allowed an affirming string drift across the newly formed connection. _Something's going on; I'm on my way to find out exactly what it is._ The young woman replied, still rushing through the corridor. She dragged her hand against the rough stone as she took a sharp right, so caught up in her thoughts she almost missed the turn. _I'll be in the courtyard if you want to come along._ There came no reply before the link severed, but she knew the creature would show. Curiosity always got the better in these situations.

A few more turns and two flights of stairs later found Tae on a wide balcony like porch. In the middle stood a giant fountain of an Elf, Dwarf, Human, and Urgal all wrapped within the tail and claws of a crouching dragon whose wings were spread as if in preparation for flight. The structure was made entirely of polished marble – the creamy stone veined with shadowy lines – and must have been carved by the use of magic. Otherwise, the sheer weight of the dragon's hulking likeness would have sent the whole thing tumbling. However, Tae was given short time for gawking. A gust of wind blew over the courtyard, bending the grass and shrubbery into easy submission as Ninaru landed. With each ivory claw that touched the loamy earth, the ground gave a shudder and if Tae had not been standing on such a solid surface, she would have been forced to brace herself for the tremors he sent through the ground.

_You should have changed your appearance. Your current state is unacceptable._ Ninaru chastised, his jeweled eyes squinting with distaste. Tae rolled her own eyes in reply, scurrying down the steps of the balcony with excitement.

Her dragon was a beautiful creature, perhaps sent by the gods to even out her homely appearance. His bright scales were a snowy white, each one holding the never ending appearance of a cut diamond. His muscles were pronounced and well formed, his claws curved and narrowing to delicate points that could slice easily through stone and flesh alike. The membrane of the leviathan's wings veined with pale sapphire and subtle hints of lavender. The same colors which ghosted beneath his scales with a shimmering, almost fluid effect; like the metallic gloss within a crow's wings. His large head was blocky, though not in an ugly design, rather it showed his masculinity and boldness through the hard, sharp lines of his skull, and set within that skull shone the brilliant gems of his eyes. Like the undertones of his scales, his eyes were a deep blue-violet, the two colors swirling through each other like dancing water, deepening in hue as they drew nearer to his pupil. At the base of his jaw, on either side, were two spikes stretched past the back of his neck so as not to hinder his movement, but to prove as weapons while in battle. Also, a row of spikes reached from the bridge of his nose all the way to the tip of his tail – the spikes small and slightly flexible on his nose and head, but taking on a more sturdy construction and a bit more length along his back and hips before once again growing shorter and more flexible as they progressed down his tale, ending a few inches before his tail – with a gap large enough for a Rider's saddle in the joint of his neck and shoulders/wings.

Ninaru was a diamond; Tae was little more than a rock. _You worry too much, it's not as if anyone will be paying any attention to me anyhow._ The woman protested, putting her hands on her hips as she reached within twenty yards of him. Her bonded dragon had grown into a magnificent giant in the six years they had been together, his hulking body now towering over her by fifteen yards or more at the shoulder. Needless to say, he had to lower his head in order to look her in the eye.

_So you say…_ Ninaru said, lowering himself to the ground and extending his left fore claw so that Tae was able to scramble onto his back. The massive beast spread his wings, preparing to launch himself into the sky, but a shrieking yowl made him snap the wide limbs back to his sides and shy away crouching into a defensive stance that would allow him to protect both his major arteries and his Rider. Such pains were useless, however, as their assailant proved to be little more than a disgruntled feline.

"_**I cannot believe you would leave without me!"**_ The large tabby cat hissed verbally, the needle points of his claws digging uncomfortably into Tae's leg as the creature struggled to find his balance.

_If I had known there were more attending this venture I might have waited, Erevu._ Ninaru replied as calmly as if the disgruntled feline had commented on something as simple as the weather. _Now that you have arrived, I will assume that you are not against my departing?_

"_**Oh, by all means. You overgrown lizard…"**_

Ninaru pretended not to notice Erevu's grumbled sarcasm, but when he leapt into the air, it was all the large cat could do to not fall off. He yowled his unhappiness right in Tae's ear who winced from the sharp noise, her sharp hearing seeming to magnify the noise to a painful pitch.

_I forget who you intended on punishing by that..?_ Tae grumped, rubbing her ears and trying to ease the incessant ringing. She felt the strain of apology cross the link she had widened with her dragon. Tae made an 'Hmph'ing noise but said nothing else, unwilling to make her bonded feel any worse than he already did for hurting her.

"_**So would anyone like to explain exactly what we are doing? And why you decided to leave your chamber dress like a street urchin?"**_ Erevu's final question was more rhetorical than anything, and earned him a pointed glare from the woman whose lap he inhabited. _**"What?"**_ He asked incredulously, as if he had done nothing wrong. _**"You could have changed!"**_

"Is everyone intent on judging my clothing choices…" Tae complained under her breath, crossing her arms and forcing Erevu to find his own balance on Ninaru's swaying back. The dragon had leveled out shortly after beginning his flight, but that certainly didn't stop the feline from being uncharacteristically unsteady for such a species.

_Forget your clothes, the council building is down below. Are you sure you want to risk eavesdropping on such an important conversation? I am sure masters Traegan and Abraia will tell us what has happened sooner or later._ As always, it fell to Ninaru to act as the voice of reason, Tae's curiosity getting the better of her in such an abnormal event. But after years of repetition and habit, a little abnormality was long overdue. Not even her dragon could hide his curiosity.

_I'm sure._ Tae replied sternly, her mind made up on the matter.

Ninaru began his slow, spiraling descent into the wide courtyard, flapping hard so that he would land softer than usual. Tae understood his efforts toward secrecy: the Great Hall served a number of purposes – meetings only one of them – and thus the dwarves and elves made sure to build it sturdily, but with a flexible frame that would bend with strong winds, and absorb shock from the ground without bothering whoever might inhabit it at the moment. However, the building was not sound proofed. Even though the elders would not notice the dense thudding of Ninaru's claws connecting with the ground once again, they might notice the thunderous noise of his mighty wings. Luckily for the trio, the council seemed not to mind them as no heads poked out through the colossal double doors to tell them off for being noisy.

_You wait here._ Tae said, sliding off of the crystalline shoulder of her bonded. She landed lithely on the balls of her toes, falling into a crouch to absorb the shock of such a high fall before scurrying across the courtyard bent over as if she were stalking prey. _I'm going to try and find a window or a way to get in there and figure out what they are talking about!_ She was determined, her mouth set in a hard line as she quickly closed the distance between Ninaru and the edge of hall.

Like most of the buildings in Garrow Keep, the Great Hall had been built on a platform that was born of the very rock in the earth – one of the reasons why it was able to withstand such strong forces as a gust of wind off a dragon's wings – and so any windows would be almost impossible to reach from the ground. Tae's best chance at catching a glimpse of the meeting would be to sneak inside somehow and try to catch a few words of what the elders were discussing. The young Rider hurried up the steps, couched low and keeping her head on swivel so that even the smallest of sounds would be caught by her sharp ears. Dashing over the final few steps, Tae dove for a wide pillar, concealing her slender figure behind its wide girth. She ducked around one side, then the other, continuing when she was sure the coast was clear and darting across the few yards of open space between the pillar and the wall of the actual building to press her back against the rough stone and try to melt into the shadows. Sidestepping, she jiggled the handle slowly until the latch fell open and the door parted a crack. On the other side of the heavy door she heard animated voices in a heated debate over…something…she couldn't quite get the details through such a small space. Daring to go a little farther, she tugged on the door a bit more to widen the opening, falling back in surprise when it swung much farther than she had intended.

"You know, I expected better than this of you two." The voice was throaty and rugged, almost more of a growl than actual words. A calloused hand reached down to help the shamed woman to her feet. "Three." The man amended as he looked to where Ninaru cowered sheepishly, the furry visage of Erevu peeking over the dragon's snowy wing. "I would ask what you were doing, but you made it only too obvious." The man quirked a dark brow, his brown eyes glinting with a mischievousness still lingering from his youth. A trait that only showed in his appearance, his behavior anything but.

"I apologize master." Tae said dolefully, hanging her head to show that she felt thoroughly chastised – an action her teacher saw fit to ignore.

"Shouldn't you be working on your spells today? Your pronunciation could use significant improvement. I would think you would use a day off from studying with Abraia and I for something more useful than spying."

Tae nodded her head quickly, turning to leave – or rather escape her master's scrutinizing stare. "You are right, I apologize Master Traegan. We'll just go back to our quarters and study right away.." The Rider said, her voice shrill and airy with embarrassment and fear of whatever punishment was sure to come the next day during training. She winced when the hand still clasped around her own from helping her up suddenly tightened and yanked her back in place, easily rooting her to the spot.

"Why rush away now?" Traegan asked with a grin that was anything but welcoming, leaning down from his six-feet-two-inches to look Tae straight in the eye. "You look like you need a way to spend your time and listening to these old people talk is growing dull. Why don't you and I have a little sparring practice, eh?"

Tae fought to keep her shoulders from slumping over, knowing it wasn't a question. "Yes Ebrithil..." She said softly, starring at her boots. The gentle pressure of a hand on her shoulder bade her raise her gaze however and she met the softened gaze of her master.

"Go change, young one. Put on something more suitable for flying." Treagan's voice was softer then, and even though no one could ever call his hoarse voice tender, there was a mildness about him that had not been present before. It almost gave him a melancholy aura, a thought that was off-putting for the young Rider.

"Yes, sir." Tae replied, giving a small bow before leaping down the steps and racing for Ninaru's back. She bound up his side, her heart hammering both from being caught by her master and from the strange emotions she had sensed from him when he sent her away. Was he just that disappointed in her? Or were there other forces at work…?

_I am sure he is fine._ Ninaru said, twisting his great neck to nuzzle his Rider's knee before crouching and spreading his wings. _Now hold on!_ And with that, he was off. A few strong beats of his wings bringing him high into the air as he soared over the buildings separating them from their housing block.

Once again, the ground shook and the air quivered at the might of Ninaru as he landed in the courtyard, his claws digging into the soft ground. Tae leaped from his back before he had completely lowered his belly to the earth, landing with a grunt as she hurried to her quarters. _I will wait here._ The ivory dragon said softly in his Rider's mind, curling his tail over his front claws and folding his wings into a more comfortable position as he rested his chin against his well muscled chest and began to hum quietly to himself. _**As will I. **_Tae smiled, seeing her dragon and soulmate in peaceful contentment, and turned back toward the double doors of the dorm building.

Trying to be quiet, Tae opened the doors only as much as she had to in order to slip her lithe figure inside. When she closed it, she held the handle so the latch could fall silently into place as she released it. Only when the door had been closed did she turn and walk quietly to her bed chamber. Her feet were silent over the rug covered stone, disturbing not a one of her classmates as they slept. She was glad for the silence, and the solitude, as it gave her time to think without being disturbed, or without worrying herself over the odd looks she would receive from starring off into the distance – so lost in thought that she appeared stupid and dimwitted…

Tae knew many of the Riders in training did not accept her as their comrade or trust her as a person. She also knew many of them thought she did not deserve the magnificent dragon that had chosen her. But their jealousy on this matter had turned far more barbed than she had expected. She heard whispers, the hissed rumors of how she had worked dark magic over the egg in order to make it hatch for her, and from those spells his scales had been bleached a pearly white. Ninaru was the only white dragon in the land, not even Alagaësa having reported of one, and not a single person had let her forget that. Tae loved her dragon, but he only intensified her singularity in this place. They were both oddities, in a world that needed consistency.

Then there was Erevu. The bond between them was a curious one and not even Tae herself could explain the specifics. Only the elders of her people knew the ancient spells that had gone into separating themselves from their magic and bringing it into the world as a beast. But something had gone wrong in the process and as their magic had departed their body, so had a piece of their souls. Most creatures would have died from this, except perhaps the Elves. And maybe that is what saved them, their Elvin blood – as diluted as it might have become over the years. But seeing a girl walking with a dragon and a wild beast at her heels made no person more willing to be near her.

Surprisingly, it was the Elves who were the cruelest to her. Of course they made no outward displays of their animosity, but rather it was in the strength of their swords when they sparred and in the jabbing blows of their minds when they practiced shielding. The Elves made sure she knew she was not one of them and that they did not want her.

The Dwarves were kinder, seeing her as neither kin nor enemy they allowed her to hang in neutrality. A few offered her words of wisdom when she was unable to perfect a spell or pronounce a word of the ancient language correctly. They offered small smiles as she passed, and if ever she would ask of them the origins of some rock or gem Tae knew they would settle into a lengthy discussion covering her question and hundreds of more types of rock and gem and dirt. However, though the Dwarves were kinder than most, Tae never felt the ties of friendship grow between her or any one Dwarf.

There were also a few Humans who deigned that she might have their attention. Most of these were females, however, wishing to better their own standing by lowering hers even further. It was these sorts of people who had turned her into the spitting wraith she became when approached by any one other than her teachers. Tae had heard the not so quiet description of her behavior. Some called her a cornered beast, staring down the shaft of a knocked arrow, others called her a demon, but the most common insult was to call her exactly what she was. A half-blood. A mongrel. The cursed mix of monster, and Elf. She was an anomaly, something that shouldn't exist, and they hated her for it.

Similar to Dwarves, were the Urgals and the way they regarded her. They were not cruel, but nor were they understanding. They mostly kept to themselves, as they too suffered the jaded looks and whispered rumors as she. While their sins laid in the past blood shed of their people, rather in the simple act of being born, they were still looked down upon as wild and unpredictable.

Tae looked up then, surprising herself when she realized she had already arrived at the door to her quarters. She looked down at the handle, turning it easily and stepping inside before shutting the door behind her. She wasted no time in finding her gear, and quickly had her clothes along with the gleaming pearl edge of her sword. The Rider dressed in a hurry, pulling on the leather riding pants made specifically for riding dragons as they had extra padding on the inside of her thighs and calves. She then pulled her boots back on over them after a thick pair of woolen socks. Next she replaced the thin sleeping tunic and pulled a long sleeved wool shirt over her head which hugged her flesh like a second skin. Over this went a thick, hooded cloak, the inside lined with rabbit fur, that she tied around her throat and pulled tightly over her shoulders. Then, dressed properly, she grabbed her sword belt and cinched it tightly around her waist before walking back toward the door, snatching up her saddle and slinging it over shoulder as she went.

Shutting the door as quietly as she could, Tea turned around…

And ran straight into someone who gave a small grunt of surprise at the impact.

Tae instinctively tensed, cringing away so that her back thudded uncomfortably against the door. He was sturdily built, his shoulders broad and muscular, but all men were these days, and the young woman couldn't help but notice how shirtless he was. She blinked, clearing her head, and looked up at his face. A face that appeared just as shocked as she felt. He smiled, lines forming in the corner of his eyes. Deep blue eyes that seemed to swim with warmth and kindness. There was age on his face, not in the form of deep ruts caused by time, rather there was a subtle weariness that drug at the corners of his mouth and an inescapable sorrow that seemed to cast shadows over his face. A face that was angled ever so slightly, and she realized his hair covered the slightly pointed tips of his ears. But he didn't look like a full Elf, his body had width where theirs had slender grace. And while no one could say he wasn't beautiful in the way only Elves could be, there was a ruggedness to his features that any Elf would have erased.

There was a sharp intake of breath and Tae realized she was the one who had gasped, understanding with a sense of horror exactly who she was seeing. She crossed her fist over her chest and bowed her head, ignoring the hammering of her heart within its cage. "Sir…" She breathed, silently berating herself for using such a simple word when there were thousands of other honorifics she could have and should have used. She looked up then, her eyes pleading. "Forgive me, I..I-"

Her words were smothered by a single calloused hand placed squarely over her mouth. Forgetting herself for a moment, she gave a small snarl, though that was also silenced by a stern look and a shake of the head. He jerked his head down the hallway, beginning to walk in that direction himself as he removed his hand from Tae's mouth. The young Rider quickly followed, readjusting the saddle on her shoulder as she did so. Even though this was the high elder of the entire island, the young woman couldn't help but feel torn about following him. She didn't know what he wanted, didn't know how long it would take, and there was master Treagan to worry about. Would he believe her if she told the truth about her absence?

As before, Tae found herself at another door before she realized it, so lost in thought that time simply warped around her – unwilling to wait. She followed the Elf-like man out into the sunlight, Ninaru's scales glinting magnificently where he had promised to wait. Once again reminding her of his diamond to her rock. He lifted his head, but made no attempts at communication.

"Now!" Tae jumped at the deep voice, unprepared for the sudden noise. "I'd like to have a word with you if you have the time."

It took a moment for the young Rider to come up with an answer. He had thrown her off guard with the friendly welcome in his voice, and what a nice voice it was. She quickly decided that she liked it; liked the warm flow of his words like melted chocolate or satin, liked the playful glint to his eye that was reflected in the crookedness of his smile, liked the way that he addressed her as an equal. By the time she realized he was honestly waiting for an answer, rather than just humoring her as so many other teachers did, valuable seconds had already passed and she realized he must be thinking of her as an idiot or inattentive. "Oh! Um yea! I mean master Treagan- erg, no, that's not what I meant.. Um… I'm sorry…" Tae stumbled over her words like a hatchling trying to walk across its wings. Yes, now he definitely thought she was an idiot. She shrunk away, the saddle on her back making her look like a turtle retreating into its shell. The man simply chuckled, though, and bent over as if searching hard for the much younger girl and giving a face of mock surprise when he found her cowering beneath her saddle.

"Oh come now child, surely I'm not as intimidating as you make me out to be?" He asked her good naturedly, flashing a smile to reveal a brilliant row of straight teeth. Tae couldn't help but notice as well the way his eyes got warmer with the expression. "I promise you, it will only take a short moment." The girl simply nodded her head, a blush turning her cheeks bright red. "Good! Now, I just need to know your measurements for the gown, and if you think you would be able to fly across the ocean or if you would rather go by ship?" He raised his eyebrows as he studied her face, waiting for a reply.

"M-my measurements…?" Tae squeaked, confusion written on every inch of her face. Cross the ocean? Leave her home? Now she was thinking _he_ was the crazy one. She couldn't leave, everything she knew, everything she _loved_ was on this island! How could she simply leave all that behind? Her thoughts darted to her beloved teacher and the strange emotions she had felt from him earlier that morning, perhaps he had known and hadn't told her? Perhaps he was going to tell her, and he just hadn't gotten around to it yet? "What do you mean..?" Even to her ears, her voice was small and tremulous.

"That you are going away, Tae. That you are going to the homeland." A strong, steady voice said from behind her.

"You… hadn't told her..?" The blue-eyed man asked regretfully, standing straight again with an apologetic look on his face. A look that told plainly her he had said something he wasn't supposed to.

"No.." The young girl is surprised by the steel in her voice as she twisted to look at her master's face, uncomforted by the sadness that played in his eyes. "No he didn't…"

"No I didn't…" He echoed, glancing away as if unable to meet her dread filled stare.


	3. Chapter 2 : Hard Decisions

**Chapter Two : Hard Decisions**

Tae's feet slammed unmercifully against the ground, each jarring step serving to remind her of her anger and the reason for it. How could master Treagan have kept something like this from her? How could he have not told her? She paced back and forth through the field like a caged beast, Ninaru looking on somberly and Erevu was unfazed by this as any other thing.

_You are acting like a child, throwing such a temper tantrum._ Ninaru chastised gently, his mental voice soothing like cool water on a burn. But Tae was in no mood to be soothed and coddled, she wanted to break something or many somethings rather, but she was in a field and the only thing she had to break was the grass. The young girl had quickly found how very unfulfilling it was to hit something that only dances around your fist with ease.

"I don't care!"Tae cried back, falling to her knees with a very small _**thud**_ and ripping at the grass with a vengeance. "He had no right to keep that from me!"

She pounded her fists against the soft ground. Unsatisfied with the lack of screams from the crushed grass, she repeated the motion again and again until her energy was spent and she sat crouched over her aching fists with her forehead pressed against the ground. It wasn't fair. Why her? Why did _she_ have to go? Why did she have to leave the only home she had ever known to meet a bunch of people who didn't care about her one way or the other? Why, why, why? A soft nudge on her shoulder made her sit up. "I just don't understand Naru…" Tae whimpered, absently reaching up a hand to rub her dragon's muzzle. "Why do _we_ have to go..? Why can't they just send Master Treagan and Master Abraeil, or better yet, no one at all? It's just another hatching, why do _we_ have to go and see it?" Ninaru waited patiently for her indignation to subside, knowing if he started in to soon she would simply cut him off with another useless argument and they'd be sitting there for days.

_Because we are new and shiny, something to ogle over and burden with all their oo's and ahh's. It is all for show and they want something new for their little act._

Tae was shocked, and she didn't know if it was from Ninaru's use of the word 'ogle' or if it was his blatant disagreement with the entire system. She knew much of what went on between the capitols politically was mostly for show, just razzle dazzle for the common folk, and the whole 'sending an emissary from the keep to escort the newbie' business was basically nonsense because after the naming ceremonies the newly turned Rider and emissary wouldn't see each other again probably until after they had arrived back on the island. However, she had never heard her dragon – who was usually so resolved and self-contained – speak against the way things were done. To hear him say such things was akin to her punching the ground or tearing the grass, it was his version of a temper tantrum. The young Rider was slightly comforted by the fact that she wasn't the only one displeased with the recent turn of events.

"So what do we do now…?" Tae asked glumly, already knowing the answer her dragon would give.

_We obey, and trust that everything will be fine. _He crawled on his belly until his Rider sat against his chest and curled his massive neck along the ground to look at her with one jeweled eye. Even Erevu crept down from his perch on the leviathan's back so that he could snuggle into his bonded's lap. _They _are_ allowing us to choose our manner of transportation at least, which is thoughtful. I say we request a ship. Even though the trip will be longer, it would be less hazardous for a first crossing if we do not run straight into the unknown. I am not completely sure if I could make it._

The young woman sighed, reaching a hand back to rub at her dragon's polished scales. She knew how difficult it was for him to admit he was unable to do anything and everything asked of him, she knew how much he loathed the idea of being weak. Yet here he was, suggesting they travel by boat because he didn't want to risk sending them crashing into the sea. The simple fact was that he had accepted their fate and was moving past it. He had accepted that they were to leave the island, and the only thing left to do was to make arrangements.

* * *

><p>Twilight found the mismatched trio at last arriving back at the keep, and just in time for dinner! Ninaru dropped his Rider off in the courtyard in front of the Great Hall – the dining field they used during good weather not far away – before flying off to his nesting area to await his own dinner. Erevu followed suit, wandering off on his own in hopes of finding a meal. Watching the furry yellow rump of her soulmate trot in one direction while Ninaru's diamond wings carried him quickly into the distance, Tae suddenly found herself feeling very alone.<p>

"You are late, child."

She suddenly missed being alone. "I'm sorry Ebrithil," The Rider began sheepishly, slowly turning to face her teacher. "I was working on flight maneuvers and I guess I lost track of time…" It was an obvious lie and her cheeks turned red hot at the words, but thankfully Treagan seemed not to care and not to notice. Either way, he didn't question his pupil's hesitant response.

"I am sure you will make certain this does not become a habit?" The graying man said, quirking a brow before turning without waiting for an answer. "Now come along, you are going to take your dinner with me tonight. We have things to discuss, you and I." He waved her along over his shoulder, clasping his hands behind his back afterward and walking along at a leisurely pace.

Great. Not only was he sending her away, now he was angry with her for being late _and_ keeping her away from the other students. As if they needed more reasons to act as if she had been quarantined with some deadly disease… Still, no matter how hard she could try to weasel out of it, master Treagan was her teacher and she could no sooner deny his commands than bring the dead back to life. She was, however, thankful for the silence as they made the short trip to the housing building for the teachers and elders, and seeing as how it was only directly across from the Great Hall, it was a very short trip indeed.

Treagan's suites were on the first floor and situated around the back of the structure. He lacked the homey touches a woman might have made, but it was certainly more than livable and Tae found herself daydreaming about the thick carpets and cushioned chairs in front of the fire place the second she stepped into the room. It was a short-lived fantasy, though, for when her eyes found a familiar blue-eyed man, all thoughts of relaxation and simple conversation vanished. She should have known. Not once had Treagan ever summoned her to his quarters and he had certainly never gone to retrieve her in person! That alone should have been enough to tell her something was up.

"Ah! Tae! It's wonderful to see you again!" The blonde headed man almost crowed out his welcome, standing from his seat by the fire and quickly making his way over to take the dazzled Rider's arm and escort her to a chair. She glanced back to see if her master had a problem with the man's forwardness, but all she found in his face was the same deep sorrow she had caught earlier that morning. It was more than a little unsettling, but then Tae was being plopped down in an extremely comfy seat and was being asked if she wanted to talk first and then have dinner or vice versa.

"Dinner, please." She replied softly. She wasn't entirely sure that this "talk" was going to be a good one, and her father always said it was never good to hear bad news on an empty stomach. Besides, the young Rider wasn't sure if she would _want_ to eat after hearing what her two elders had to say.

The bright eyed man called for their supper and a pot of tea and a man carried in a tray holding a large pot of beef stew with vegetables mixed in, and a loaf of cheese and herb bread. In the corner of the tray was a plain looking pot with steam leaking steadily from the spout, and three cups positioned around it. A second man appeared carrying bowls and other eating utensils. Master Treagan dismissed the servants with a curt thank you and began dishing up their meals, first serving the light headed man a healthy bowl of stew with a thick slice of bread on top, then doing the same for Tae before finally dishing out his own portion.

Sitting across from him, Tae had a wonderful vantage point to study the high elder. He was handsome, that was for certain and had been collectively decided by almost every woman and girl in the Keep, and he had a very controlled manner of eating. As in he ate quickly, devouring his food ravenously, yet somehow managing to keep a level of decorum while doing so. The young woman on the other hand found the meal hard to stomach. Not because it was tasteless or she disliked the dish, it was more for fear of the conversation to come. Even her master Treagan was slow to complete his dinner.

"Tae, I know you must have mixed feelings about leaving Garrow Keep, and especially the island, but you must understand _why_ we decided to send you." Treagan began, once the dishes and excess food had been cleared away by the servants who had brought it.

The adolescent Rider looked at her hands, wringing them together in her lap as if by concentrating hard enough on them her teachers would eventually fade away. "The island is my home.. I've never left before…" She replied sullenly when both men seemed to be waiting for an answer. Slowly, cautiously, the young woman risked looking up at their faces. First master Treagan's, then the high elder's. Neither inspired any courage, both holding a sort of grim calculation as if weighing her answer carefully before making some important decision. "I don't understand, Ebrithil, why I would need to leave now." Her voice shook, but the words were said and she couldn't take them back no matter how argumentative they might have sounded.

What seemed like hours passed before the more distinguished of the men replied, "Every time a dragon hatches, we try to have a representative from each race present at the naming ceremony." He began, raising a hand when she tried to protest about this being the first appearance of her race. "Now, because of your age, we have put off sending you as an emissary. However, the queen is getting curious and she has requested that you make an appearance. The high council agreed on the terms that you would be allowed the company of your mentor on this journey." The man paused and Tae took no time in jumping in.

"So master Treagan and master Abraeil are going with us?" She blurted, her eyes widening with relief as she sat forward in her chair.

"Yes, Abraeil and I will make the crossing by air, and we will wait for you at the docks if you chose to make the passage by sea – which I would add might be the wiser course for your first crossing. We will be at your side every step of the way to ensure you represent yourselves and your people as you should." His warning was clear, both for the present and the future, she needed to behave and there would be no exceptions.

"What if there is trouble on the seas? What if me and Ninaru-"

"Ninaru and I."

Tae shot an exasperated glare toward her teacher before continuing. "What if _Ninaru and I_ drown before we get there? What if his wings get tired or the ship sinks? How would anyone know? And why is the queen there so interested in us? We aren't anything special." Her voice was on the verge of a whine, and Treagan was looking at her reproachfully.

"I assure you, the sea is not going to be a problem for you. We will lace the boat with many spells and incantations to insure your safe arrival in Alagaësa. As for the queen, well, I think you are underestimating just how special you and your dragon are Tae. It's been over a century since the world has seen a white dragon, and no one even knew your people existed until we began building here. You truly are rarities and the queen wishes to meet you as well as her daughter and her dragon."

Tae blinked. "The dragon hatched for the queen's daughter?"

The high elder nodded slightly, a look passing between the two teachers before Treagan continued carefully, as if testing for his pupil's reaction. "Considering the last time Alagaësa had a Rider for a ruler… Well, the people are more than a little wary about the eventual succession of the crown. Some are demanding that the princess renounce her claim to the throne and allow her younger brother to rule, and some want her and her dragon out of Alagaësa completely."

"And you want me to what? Convince them that a dragon rider for a queen is okay?" Tae replied, her eyes narrowing in something like distrust. They were using her as a tool, and she did not enjoy being used. Besides, who was to say they would listen to _her_ when they would so easily turn against one of their own?

"Not necessarily, we mainly want you to show them the benefits of having a dragon rider among them." Treagan replied, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Some wounds are too deep to heal with time, on the surface they might appear whole again, but deep down there are hurts and worries that refuse to go away. Galbatorix was a madman and used his dragon as a threat to cow his people into fearful submission. Perhaps it is too soon for another Rider to step onto the throne, but that is no reason for someone to be shunned and kicked out of their home. Maybe, if you can manage to do a few good deeds while you're there, you can convince the people that having a Rider around isn't such a bad idea."

"But she would still be denied her right to the crown?"

Treagan made a small grimace and nodded. "Most likely, but it is better to lose some than all. I'm sure the princess would rather give up her place in the line of succession, than give up her place in the kingdom entirely."

Tae sighed, rubbing at her temples as she tried to take everything in. The queen and princess wanted to meet her and Ninaru because they were different. Alagaësa did not want another Rider as their ruler. The princess was either going to lose her right as the heir, or lose her home. Somehow the job fell upon Tae and her dragon to convince an entire kingdom of strangers – in every aspect of the word – that not all dragon Riders were going to go insane and try to kill everyone who looked at them wrong and that most of them were actually pretty decent human beings. Or…mostly human beings. She groaned, dropping her head in her hands and massaging her scalp with her finger tips. This was all becoming too much for her to handle, especially so suddenly. Why hadn't she heard about this before? Why was it so last minute? Surely they had known about this before _now_?

"Tae, are you alright..?" Treagan's voice was soft and steady, it almost could have been comforting if it wasn't so rough and gravely. Still, his hand on her shoulder was abnormal in their relationship and did more to upset the young woman than comfort her.

Looking up, the creature offered a small, defeated smile and gave a half hearted shrug of acceptance. "I guess it would be pretty awful to be kicked out of your home… We'll go." Tae replied lowly, her voice not matching the feigned emotion on her face. She glanced at the high elder, expecting a look of approval, she was left reeling by his look of utter loss. As if he had no idea what to say or do to make this right.

_Little bird…_

Tae almost shuddered at Ninaru's voice in her mind. She could feel the reverberating hum of contentment through their connection and she knew he had recently finished feeding. _We're going to Alagaësa Naru… _

The great leviathan hesitated before replying. _Would you like to go flying for a while?_

The Rider sent her dragon a tendril of appreciation at the sentiment. He knew flying tended to clear her thoughts when she was troubled, but something told her not even flying was going to make this headache go away. _I'm very tired… May I sleep with you tonight?_

_Of course, little bird._

Tae stood abruptly, her fists clenched at her sides as she searched for words. The two elders had been speaking while she had been conversing with Ninaru, but she hadn't been paying attention and their words refused to stick in her memory. They could have been asking her questions or telling her important things to know about her journey, but she couldn't remember what they had been. "Please excuse me masters, but I'm exhausted and I would like to get some rest before training tomorrow." She interjected in their conversation, gaining both of their attention like she had the plague.

"Oh, don't worry about training, from now until you leave, all you need to worry about is making preparations for your trip and the following time in the homeland." The high elder replied, his blue eyes seeming kind but somehow colder than the young woman remembered.

Tae stuttered for words, not knowing how to reply before she simply gave up. She offered them a curt bow, making a fist over her heart, before turning and rushing from the room, trying not to cry as she did so. The young Rider ran through the wide hallways, ducking past teachers returning and leaving their apartments as she headed for the door. Direction didn't matter. All she cared about was getting away from that stuffy room, away from the comfy chairs and the warm fire, but mostly away from her teacher and the high elder. Yes. She wanted to be as far away from them as possible. Instead of stopping by her room to grab a blanket in case the night grew chilly later one, Tae ran straight for the nests; straight for Ninaru, deciding her thick cloak and his fire would be more than enough to keep her warm. She called to him before she arrived, and he met her on the ground, nuzzling his nose into her chest and stomach and letting her cry against his smooth scales. _Oh little bird…_ He whispered tenderly in her mind, helping her onto his back before slowly and gently climbing to one of the larger caves that served as his roost.

Ninaru headed for the very back of the space, curling his body against the sloping walls and creating a protective cocoon for his Rider. Tae rested against his warm belly, and when the dragon began to hum softly, his pearly scales emitted a glow from within as if a fire were being stoked and embers were coming back to life. The orange light cast a golden skin over the scales of her dragon and Tae fell asleep some time later to thoughts of fire and cast away princesses.


	4. Chapter 3 : A Visit From the Past

**AN: So first off I'd like to thank DragonDaemon93 for making my first review! And on that note, if it seems a little slow at first then good! That's what I'm going for at the moment. Never fear, though! It'll all pick up soon ;D **

**Second, to anyone else reading this story... . ... I'd just like to encourage you all to review! It really does help with the moral to know that someone likes what I'm doing enough to take the time to say so.**

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><p>Chapter Three: A Visit From the Past<p>

The sun streaked through the cracked and molded shutters, raking across his eyelids with doggish persistence. He groaned, a broad hand reaching up to drag across the young man's face. A dark head turned toward the offending window, glaring at the cracks that left the cover hanging by a nail. The man frowned further, sitting up slowly while bending his knees out slightly, and let his head hang limply in between them. He hated the morning. Hated waking up in the middle of nowhere with the sun in his eyes, and his belly refusing to be still. Surely 'the morning' was the bane of his entire existence. "And what a humble existence it is…" The man grumbled sleepily, slowly sliding first one leg and then the other out from under the covers and over the edge of the bed. He paused for a moment, his head lolling from side to side on his neck with his hands bracing him on the side of the bed, as if gathering the courage or mustering the strength to actually stand. At last he could put it off no longer. Joints cracked and popped as weight was suddenly forced upon them, and the man gave a large stretch to help wake his body up.

The little shack he stayed in wasn't really anything special, in fact it could hardly even be called a shack at all. It was really just a box. A wooden box that he could crawl in and hide away from the world. A world that had probably forgotten him entirely by now. _She_ had certainly forgotten him… He bit back the searing weight of loss and betrayal, forcing himself to complete his morning ritual as normal; forcing himself to forget.

A bucket sat in one of the corners of the small shack and the young man took the step-and-a-half that brought him standing in front of it. The water was cold as he splashed it over his face, much of it also spilling onto his bare chest as he was dressed only in a pair of leather leggings. He scrubbed his face well, the rugged scruff on his chin and jaw rough against his fingers. When his face shone red from the chill of the water, the man dried himself off with the bed cover and went about finding clothes while making a list of things he needed to do that day in his head. He needed to go hunting, his food stores were running low, and he also needed to get fresh water. A thin cloth shirt passed over his head, followed by a mixed fur vest that kept his vitals warm while still giving his arms room to maneuver. In all honesty, he didn't know why he bothered as it would come off when it warmed up. _What else is there to do…_ He thought absently, sitting down on the edge of the bed to pull on a pair of thick soled boots. Well, he could always start trying to fix the shutters. A single glance at the pathetic excuse for 'shutters' quickly made him rethink that idea.

A few minutes passed and the young man still sat on the edge of his bed when the visage of a vibrant green forest running away beneath him came to mind. _There is someone nearby._ A familiar voice said simply, no indication given of whether that 'someone' was dangerous or otherwise. Still, any sort of visitor was a hassle. It seemed like everyone wanted to know why he was out here all alone and surely he must have someone with him to keep him company and perhaps they could stay for dinner so he wouldn't feel so alone and- The young man groaned and smack his palm against his forehead just thinking about it. _I am coming down. They are waiting. _

The man was interested now, it wasn't often that someone was able to slip past his defenses. Perhaps he was getting lazy in his use of magic? But that was unreasonable, a spell was a spell no matter how animatedly – or _in_animately in his case – one said it. Oh well, might as well go check it out anyhow. Anyone who was that determined to see him or this shack that they would force their way through at least a dozen spells of protection and silencing was worth meeting for a little bit. The man grabbed his quiver, slinging it into its normal place on his back, and also his bow which he hung over his shoulder for quick use. Then, he headed for the door.

She was dressed as eccentrically as ever. Her fingers covered in rings and her neck heavy with necklaces of both intricate and simple designs. Her dress was perhaps the most normal thing about her, a plain creation of sky blue cloth that slightly resembled something of Roman origin though how could he know that? She sat cross legged in front of his tiny dwelling with a basket of mushrooms and herbs situated in the nest-like center. The years had been good to her, no more sign of age showing upon her face than there had been the last time the young man had seen her. However, her knowing gaze was still unsettling to him, and when their eyes locked he felt vulnerable and naked as if she weren't so much looking at his face as she was looking at his deepest thoughts and even down to his soul. "It's been a while Angela." He started cautiously, watching the herbalist carefully as if she were some unpredictable animal that could attack at any time.

"Oh, quite." She replied airily, waving his greeting off with her voice before scanning the skies for something. The young man tried to hide his relief that she was no longer watching him so intensely. "Didn't you have a dragon around here somewhere? Old…what's-his-name… It had something to do with plants. Bramble… Sticker…"

"Thorn..?" The man prompted, his voice low and thick with something not unlike regret or guilt. He had named his dragon out of spite, and now the honorable leviathan would never have a proper name. Rather, addressing him would forever remind them both of their wicked and violent past. Angela, however, seemed either not to care about the man's feelings or not to notice as she remained as cheerful as ever.

"Right! Thorn! Now where did he run off to?" She didn't have to keep searching for long.

As if their conversation had summoned him, the giant blood red dragon dropped from the sky like a single bud of fire. His scales shone every hue of red from deep crimsons to burning garnets, the light catching and reflecting against their well maintained surfaces in order to give him the appearance that his body was actually licked with flames. The herbalist gave a small gasp of joy and stood fluidly in her appraisal. If the Rider had suffered any in his years of exile, Thorn had certainly flourished. Living the lifestyle of a wild dragon had worked wonders on his body. Sure he had been big before, but that had been from the warped magic of Galbatorix and his enslaved Eldunarí, now his massive size was the result of age and maturity. Not to mention some extensive cardio. His muscles were toned and wiry, his claws – while perhaps not as curved as they could have been – were sharpened to a razor point and had an almost serrated edge to them. His wings were giant and cast a ruby hue over the small meadow as he landed. Thorn was forced to fall the last few yards to the ground in order to avoid knocking over the small hovel his Rider was currently living in, and the impact of his weight meeting the ground sent tremors through the soil. The nearby trees quivered at the shock, a few leaves falling with a soft _**hiss**_ing sound. Angela seemed pleased by the dragon's appearance and circled him a few times as she made her inspection. "He's certainly grown up well. Quite the handsome dragon. Murtagh, you are flying him regularly aren't you?" The witch asked casually as if this were normal conversation.

The man in question winced at the use of his old name. "No one's called me that in years…" He replied somberly, a shadow crossing his face as he turned away. Thorn watched his Rider curiously, his attention constantly switching between the herbalist who was closer and his bonded who seemed troubled by the witch's presence. While the dragon had no qualms with the woman personally, he didn't like how unsettled she made his Rider and as a result a low rumble could be heard from deep in his throat.

"Hmmm… I try to give you a compliment and somehow you both get upset.." Angela mused without sounding very bothered. "People certainly are strange these days." She placed her hands on her hips turning toward the dark haired Rider. "So then, if I can't use your actual name what am I supposed to call you? I guess Fluffy Caveman sounds alright to me."

The man tried to disguise his wince as scratching his head, but by the stern look he received from the witch, he was fairly certain it didn't work. "I've been going by Baerd when anyone manages to find their way past my spells.." He replied, his voice drifting off as he noticed the incredulous look on the woman's face.

"Really? _Baerd?_ There must be over a thousand names, and _that's_ the one you choose?" Angela asked, her voice raising by almost a whole octave by the time she was finished.

Murtagh shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away with a scowl. "You don't have to like it, it's not your name." He grumbled in reply, watching the ground with a gaze that seemed intense enough to cause the grass to spontaneously combust.

"It's not _your_ name either." The herbalist replied, crossing her arms and tapping her toe against the ground before receiving another testy growl from Thorn. "Oh shut it you overgrown lizard!" She snapped, tossing her hands up in the air in exasperation as she turned to stomp away, snatching her basket where it remained sitting in her previous spot. "I'm done with both of you. I came to help you, but _ob_viously you don't _want_ my help. So just stay here and _rot_ for all I care!"

The Rider hesitated, risking a glance to his dragon who was watching Angela as if she were an unpredictable dragoness. He found some relief that he wasn't the only one confused by the witch's behavior. "Wait!" Baerd called after her, taking a few steps forward and reaching out a hand like he would grab her arm even though she was about three yards out of arm's reach. "What do you mean you came here to help us? Did something happen?" The Rider was ashamed at the note of worry that plagued his deep voice and he made a point of noisily clearing his throat, coughing a few times to rid his vocal chords of whatever sentimentality they had decided to pick up before he would risk speaking again. "Is everything alright in the capital..?" Dammit. Still there. The man made the quick decision to shut up lest he lose any claim to manliness that he still had.

"What?" Angela asked with no small amount of incredulous confusion playing in her wind chime voice. "Why would anything be wrong in Ilirea?"

Murtagh shrugged, suddenly embarrassed that his thoughts had fled straight to _her_. His imagination running away with horrible and gruesome deaths she might have suffered at the hands of any enemies she more than likely still had hanging around. "Um… Never mind…" He replied sheepishly, his gaze shifting between Angela and random trees around them. "Please… um.. Continue…"

The herbalist rolled her eyes and shook her head in an almost disapproving manner before she finally answered the Rider's question. "Nothing's gone wrong, in fact, things are going extremely right!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together a couple times to confirm the significance of this report. "Another dragon has hatched, this time in Ilirea. A female from what I've heard, although I haven't been able to get details on the color…" Now it was Angela's voice fading away into thought as her mind worked tirelessly over something as trivial as color. Murtagh didn't care if the dragon looked like a tiger with wings or anything else. All that mattered was there was another one, and it was female!

"Who did it hatch for?" He asked, hope blossoming unbidden in his chest.

"Hmm?" Came Angela's airy voice as she slowly emerged from her imaginative world of thought and dreams. "Oh! Who did it hatch for. Well, firstly, it's not an 'it', it's a _she_. Secondly, _she_ hatched for the queen's daughter." She finished sounding very pleased with herself for delivering the information. Murtagh on the other hand felt his world crashing down again. Of course it hadn't been _her_. She was past her prime, and had enough on her plate as it was. But her daughter..? He was greatly troubled by this, genuinely bothered in fact.

_Are you not pleased? Another dragon has been born. This should be cause for rejoicing._ Thorn prompted in his Rider's mind, turning a burning ruby eye upon the rugged looking man.

_I am pleased… I just wish…_ Murtagh gave a mental sigh. _I just wish it could have been different._

Understanding passed between them and the burning dragon pushed no further. He knew his bonded was still hurting from the female who had broken his heart so many years ago, and even _he_ knew what it was like to pine after a she-beast. Even then, almost half a century later, the blue dragoness still soared through his sleep-visions like a sapphire ghost. And every time they met in that world, hate still flavored her eyes with a venomous ice that stung the ruby leviathan to his core. Yes. Thorn could understand plenty well the pain a female could inflict upon a male's most fragile treasure.

"The princess eh?" _Baerd_ commented hesitantly, feigning interest when all he really wanted to do was grab his sword which was hidden beneath his bed in a thick bundle of furs and cloth and take his anger out on anything that couldn't fight back. Trees, he had found, worked wonderfully for this. "And exactly how old is the princess now?" It was a somewhat honest question. The Rider honestly wanted to know more about the child that should have been his, but he mostly wanted to know how long it had taken her mother to move past their rocky separation.

Angela thought for a moment as if having trouble remembering exactly how old the girl would have been. However, the man felt this was more to make him wait than sincere memory loss, and a deep furrow formed between his eyebrows as he scowled at being made to hold on. "Ah! Now I remember! Yes, I'm fairly certain she turned twenty-four this spring." The witch replied after what seemed like great consideration before going to sit back beside her basket. "So, _Baerd_, aren't you just _dying_ to know why I came here today?" Her voice was coy, almost playful. In that moment she reminded the dark haired man of a coiled snake.

"A dragon was born, yes, yes, Alagaësa is blessed once again. What else could there be to know?" Murtagh asked distrustfully, and perhaps more than a little irritated. He didn't enjoy waiting for what he wanted – perhaps that was one of the reasons he was so low on his meat stores – and the witch was certainly giving him the run around.

Angela blinked, quirking a brow and clucking her tongue like a hen. "Temper, temper, youngling. Have some respect for your elders." She chastised, wagging her finger at him like a mischievous child. That's right, he could remember now, her age far outweighed his own – no matter what she looked like – as did her magic. He shut his mouth quickly and forced himself to wait patiently for her to continue. "Now, I don't usually do this," the herbalist began, her manner of speaking making it seem as if she were about to say something of extreme importance. "But I'll admit, I was curious what had happened to you after you left the queen's side all those years ago." The Rider's shoulders stiffened, but he gave no other sign of discomfort, and Angela continued without seeming to notice. "So I did some poking around, and you, my friend, have been very boring to watch." Angela crossed her arms as if this bit of news was unacceptable and the man should feel very ashamed. "But!" She exclaimed, bringing forth a hand and directing her forefinger to the sky as she continued her point. "Then I turned to the future."

Murtagh's face again became dark with brooding shadow, and he raised his hands to cut her off. "Oh no, I don't need to hear about my future, I'll see it soon enough." He said, shrugging his quiver into a more comfortable position between his shoulder blades. "There's some food inside, If you want it help yourself. I appreciate you checking up on me, but I'm fine without your riddles about tomorrow, and how I can better my life for your entertainment." He waved over his shoulder, turning at a ninety degree angle and tromping toward the forest to try and salvage some morning hunting. That is if Thorn's presence hadn't scared everything off.

"Murtagh!" He winced at the use of his name, but he kept stomping away. "If you don't listen she could die!" Now he stopped. Not because of the words or even the fact that there was a woman involved, but because of the severe note of worry that coated Angela's voice. His shoulders went rigid, and his back felt as if it had been replaced with an iron rod. Ever so slightly, he turned his head a notch, and the herbalist continued. "Go to the place where your blood departed. She cannot wait for you, or the darkness will catch her. Look for the bird with broken wings and help her find her flight. But be wary, lightening hunts when the sky opens and flying snakes will knock her from the sky." He felt a slender hand close around his forearm and wondered when she reached his side, at the same time wondering how such a small looking body could hold such strength. "Murtagh, she needs you. You will both suffer if you cannot help her…" Angela pulled away then, striding over to retrieve her basket. "I know you'll make the right decision, just be quick about it." And then she was gone, disappearing into the forest just as quickly as she had come.

_Are we going…?_ Thorn asked after a moment of silence spent watching after the dark gap between the leaves where the witch had vanished. The Rider hesitated before frowning and shrugging off the strange woman's riddles.

_I don't know anything about broken wings and flying snakes. Besides, what she said didn't even make sense. We'd be running into fog. _

The crimson dragon made a noise of unease. _So an innocent girl will die because you are afraid of the fog?_ Now he made a noise of disgust, something between a growl and a snort. Smoke streamed from his bronzy nostrils, and the dark headed man turned to see a single burning eye glaring at him.

_This is where we belong now, Thorn. We aren't heroes. I'm sure whoever it is will be just fine without us._ And he trudged away into the forest.

Not seconds later, a bone shaking roar tipped through the trees and sent leaves falling everywhere. The fugitive snarled, slamming his fist against the rough bark of the nearest tree. He felt no satisfaction when it gave a slight tremor at the force. A tendril of grim pride floated across their link. If Thorn could not convince his Rider to go peacefully, he would starve him out. Murtagh groaned and ripped an arrow from his quiver, firing it into a tree. Then another, and another. Each one found its mark not an inch from the first.

_It will be good to leave here. _Thorn said, obviously pleased that he had won this disagreement. No food, meant Murtagh would _have _to move on to survive, that in turn meant one more tally on the scoreboard for the massive leviathan.


	5. Chapter 4 : Waterlogged

**AN: I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter . I am a student, and school is getting pretty difficult for some reason. Who would have thought that going to class is actually somewhat helpful? Anyway ;;. here it is! Please review!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four : Waterlogged<strong>

Silence crept over the world, the wind whispering a gentle _shhh_ across the grassy plains. Trees dotted the rolling landscape like foamy spray in a verdant sea. There were wild flowers too. Patches of them everywhere, some large some small, and the colors were more beautiful than those of a painter's brush. She was home again. Walking through the meadows and smiling as the tops of the grasses tickled her outstretched palms. Wild scents caressed her nose. There were roses growing nearby, their sweet odor soft and tender like the touch of her mother's hand against her cheek. Then, shy and subtle, there was the scent of daisies peaking out in the lower grasses like the wide eyes of the village children when they watched her working the horses. And always there were the blackberries. The ripest would burst and sweeten in the sun until their scent hung in the air like a lover's kiss. If she had to describe it in one word… Well, it was already on her lips, playing on her tongue with impish delight: _bliss_. If only she need never leave…

As if in response to her thoughts, a small growl caught the young girl's attention, completing the notion of paradise. Tae smiled, turning to look down at the snowy dragon that had chosen her. "What are you doing, Naru?" She asked him tenderly, reaching out her arms for the gangly little creature who quickly proceeded to launch himself against his bonded's chest. The girl giggled, snuggling the scaly leviathan close and nuzzling her head against his own. Even though he was only a couple weeks old, Ninaru was already the size of a small dog. So, when he shoved his front claws abruptly against Tae's chest, it was no surprise that she went tumbling over. Or rather, it _was_ a surprise as she gave a small gasping laugh when the dragon began to wriggle and writhe in her arms, desperately trying to nip at her chin. She pushed him away, darting up and running away while laughter spilled between them. He hummed loudly, chasing after her as they played their game of tag.

Minutes passed, maybe even hours, and the pair came to a small stream. Tae rushed into the cool water without hesitating, the rejuvenating liquid reaching up to lap against her calves and knees. Ninaru, too, dove head long into the water, his wings glinting and flashing magnificently as he flapped them against the fluid to send a sparkling wave rushing against his bonded's legs clear up to her waist. Tae cried out in shock as the liquid connected with her cloth pull over and instantly seeped through to her skin. Goosebumps spread down her legs, most prominent where the water returned to the stream in the form of thin rivulets. The young girl giggled, sending her own wave back at the gangly little creature. Ninaru growled menacingly, but it sound more like the sound of a terrier and the girl just laughed again at his small display of power. "Oh, let the whole world fear your awesome power! Hail the dragon king!" She teased the fledgling, offering a bow to appease the grumpy thing. Naru puffed his chest out, holding his head a little higher to fit his new status. Tae shrieked with laughter at her dragon's behavior, splashing him again before dashing out of the water. "Come on, Naru, let's go get something eat." Tae cooed over her shoulder, skipping a few paces away before pausing to glance back for her dragon.

Unlike in reality where Ninaru had followed her without hesitation, the diamond creature still stood in the stream. However, something was wrong with his stance. His legs were spread to place his feet away from his body to give him maximum balance, and his little claws were dug into the pebbly bottom of the stream bed as if he needed to be rooted to the spot. The Rider wondered at this for a moment, thinking how odd it was that now he would be threatened by the current when it had never happened before. Still, she stood as a statue, waiting for some reason before she would go to check on her dragon. She watched Ninaru as he arched his neck, his jaw hanging open as if he were trying to wrap his mouth around a particularly large bite of food. But there was nothing for him to bite into and still he struggled as if something had jammed his mouth open. Naru made an odd chortling noise, as if he were trying to growl around something stuck in his mouth, and beneath that a strange gurgling. As Tae's mind made the leap, water spurted from the dragon's mouth but he still seemed unable to get a breath. She saw his eyes widen with fear and pain and she imagined his lungs burning not from fire of his ancient heritage but from the need of oxygen. She saw his legs wobble, threatening to drop him, and she tried to lunge forward, tried to reach him, but it was like the world had sped up around her while she remained in achingly slow motion. Naru stumbled from the stream, struggling to reach his bonded, the confusion in his expression turning to desperate pleading as he made his way to her wearing the feet of a drunk.

Nothing was making sense. Her world was literally shattering around her, pieces of reality falling with glimmering edges to clink and clatter against one another. Still, the dragon floundered for air, urgently rushing to reach his Rider and the constant question in his eyes of _'why?'_ Why wouldn't Tae save him? Why wouldn't she reach out and help him? Why wasn't she rushing to his side to help? Why was she doing nothing? Tae screamed, but found her voice strangled down in her throat. She couldn't move, couldn't speak. All she could do was watch as her dragon drowned on the water materializing in his lungs; watch as everything she knew collapsed into nothingness and a devastating sense of '_wrong'_ settled over her.

No! She could not let Ninaru slip away! She would not let him go! _She couldn't!_ Tae yanked her foot away from the ground with a squelching noise, the oozing and roiling earth fighting fiercely against her progress. With each moment wasted trying to reach the dragon now locked in fitful spasms on the ground, more and more of her beloved Naru's life force was slipping away. "Naru! Ninaru!" Tae finally managed to choke out, the force behind her voice making her seem even more terrified. The pearly dragon squeaked feebly at the sound of his name, but another mouthful of water seemed to refreeze his small frame and his body was still once more. "Ninaru!" His mind was slowly receding from hers, the constant glow he had created slowly fading away into darkness. "Ninaru!" There was so little between them now, she could hardly feel his presence at all. "NINARU!" Tae's heartbroken scream ripped across the grassy plains, her world having finally completed its own destruction.

And then… _Nothing_.

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><p>Tae bolted upright in the thin mattress that passed as her bed, gasping for breath and covered in a cold sweat. For a single heart stopping moment, she didn't know where she was. All the young woman could acknowledge was the darkness that surrounded her, and every once in a while, small bursts of ephemeral lights like stars blinking in the far distance. The young Rider blinked as well, rubbing the final clinging remnants of sleep from her eyes before trying to decipher her surroundings. Now that her blood did not pound so swiftly and drown out any other sound, Tae could make out the muffled bark of human voices broken every so often by a sharp, biting roar that seemed to cut through even the thick boards of the support beams holding up the deck above. Beneath the rough, guttural language of those who would see that ship to port, was the gentle and soothing hiss of the sea brushing against the vessel's ribs. In the back of her mind, an alike sound whispered a lulling <em>shhh<em>, but Tae pushed the memory away as if it held the plague in its pacifying tones.

Returning her focus back to the room that held her, the Rider realized what had once been blinking stars were merely shafts of sunlight appearing and disappearing with the heavy footsteps on the thick deck above. For a brief moment, the woman lost her strife while watching the light ballet, the rays moving with the available space so that they looked to be twisting and twining around one another in their intricate dance. But then that moment was over, ended by the heavy thud of a boot sole connecting to the deck, and her peace and awe of that subtle beauty was replaced with the heart hammering horror of her recent nightmare.

"Ninaru!" Tae gasped aloud, yanking the tangled covers away from her legs before rolling nimbly out of bed. Where was her dragon? Where was Ninaru? Her heart was pounding again, and perhaps if she had taken the time to notice the tendril of soothing reassurance that drifted into the corner of her mind she never used for her own thought, some small portion of her terror might have been sated. However, panic held her captive and she rushed across the two feet of mahogany floorboards separating her from a spiral staircase that would take her into the belly of the ship. Here she was underwater, and the wooden siding creaked and moaned at the pressure. Any other time this might have worried her, but then all she cared about was finding her precious dragon. "Ninaru?" Tae cried forlornly into the utter darkness of the boats cavernous undercarriage. She sighed in relief when a low humming began and a golden glow created a small amount of light to see by.

_What troubles you little bird?_ His voice was calm and gentle as it always was, and now a note of concern flavored his familiar lyric even as a single sapphire-violet eye opened to watch her protectively. The boat rocked slightly as he shifted his position, his massive weight throwing the ship off center briefly before he settled onto his belly in order to curl his long neck around his Rider to create a sort of safety net that she fell into obligingly.

_I had a dream…_ The young woman replied, her mental voice breaking as the harsh memories surged upward in her mind. Ninaru scanned them over until she was able to shove them away again, then nuzzled her with his scaly nose. Tae wrapped her arms over the ridges lining the tops of his nostrils. _Naru I want to go home…_

Ninaru hummed deeper, the glow brightening slightly as the fires stoked in his belly and chest. His eyes closed and he urged his Rider into the melody of his song. When Naru hummed it was no monotonous purr, nor was it the dull roar of rocks sliding against one another. No. When he hummed it was with rhythm and meter, there was always emotion in the sound, and as Tae curled against the softer scales behind her dragon's sharp curve in his jaw, the lilting and crooning notes sounded as a lullaby to her ears.

_But we have almost arrived. I am sure there would be consequences to turning back now…_ The leviathan cooed soothingly in her mind, his eye closing shut with a slight _**'shup'**_ of his eyelid sliding downward.

_Still…_

_I know little bird, I know…_

They sat like that in silence, Ninaru humming lowly, and his Rider curled against the side of his throat, when the ancient creature gave the suggestion that perhaps some practice in magic would help to occupy the young woman's thoughts until they would reach their destination. Tae agreed and began to stretch her consciousness, preparing for her exercises.

The crew members' minds were mostly shielded with only a few exceptions, but they were of little importance at the moment and the young Rider was reluctant to invade their privacy anyhow, so she continued on. She was surprised at the amount of sea life that lived in the salty waters between Alagaësa and her homeland. For her entire life, the ocean had been a force of destruction and a thing to be feared – as far she knew, she was the only one of her people to have ever _thought_ of crossing it – and had been considered as a barren wasteland of undrinkable, toxic water. Tae had suspected fowl and frightening creatures if any at all to call that place home, but she was pleasantly surprised at the simplicity of their minds. It seemed as if all they worried about was food, mate, and territory. She dug through their tiny minds and could find no manner of speech, she couldn't even find any hint of communication other than physical and chemical. Physical communication being to trespass upon another's territory or mate, or to steal another's food, and chemical being the substances they released when they were ready to breed. But there were no words, vocal or otherwise, to be found in their uncomplicated thoughts. And with no speech, there was no showing of emotion. They were neither inherently evil creatures, or unmistakably kind. They simply _were_ and that seemed to be enough for them. Tae passed them by after a few moments, pleased with her findings and eager to report them back to Treagan though she suspected he would already know.

Continuing on in her scan of the vast ocean, the young Rider came across another life form, this time of a more sophisticated intellect than the first creatures. While this animal too seemed to travel in a group, when Tae touched their minds collectively she could determine a distinct familial bond between them all; much like the familiarity she would associate between herself and someone from her village. When she dove deeper into their thoughts, she was blown away by the level of communication they shared not only amongst one another, but with her as well.

_Come swim! Come play!_ So many voices assaulted her mind at once creating a cacophonous din amongst her thoughts as if she were standing in a large hall in which everyone was trying to yell over one another. Finally, she retreated from all but one of their minds.

_Hello?_ Tae tested, hesitantly at first, gauging the creature's reaction to her invasion of its mind.

_Hello! Hello! Come with us! Come swim! Come play! Be happy! Here we free! _The creature sang back, its voice an interesting song not unlike what the chirping of a bird might sound like under water.

_Where are you?_ The young woman replied, instantly reassured by the creature's bubbly nature.

_We swim! We play! We in home!_

_Where is home?_

The creature felt something Tae likened to confusion and she wondered if her words might have been too complex for the beast, but it quickly recovered and replied. _We in deep-wide-blue! We in home! Come play!_

_I can't come play. _ She was almost saddened by the fact that she probably wouldn't be able to ever see the creatures who so urgently pleaded with her to come and play, to join their fun.

_Can't? What is?_

_I cannot, I am unable. _Tae tried again.

_Unable?_

_I no play._

Finally the information seemed to sink in, and it took an unreasonable divot from the creature's happiness. _Come play?_ It asked again, this time seeming almost sorrowful.

_No play. What are you?_

Again she seemed to have confused the beast. _We are we? We swim! We play! Come be with we in deep-wide-blue!_ Now the glee had returned and the animal seemed already to have forgotten their previous shared words. It was apparently a creature capable of a dizzying array of emotions, and the speed with which it jumped from one to another was almost enough to give the Rider whiplash as she tried to keep up with it. If it understood one thing she said, another thing she would have thought to be idiotically simple flew over its head and sent it spiraling into depressed confusion.

Just as Tae was coming to this conclusion, a wild panic struck through the beast with almost tangible strength. _What's wrong?_ Tae asked as Ninaru spoke in her mind.

_Tae, there is something in the water._ The dragon said, a note of unease resting in the curls of his mental voice. The young woman ignored him however, too absorbed with the knowledge she was gaining from the sea bound creature to pay much attention to what her bonded was saying. Besides, she already knew there was something in the water, she was talking to one of them wasn't she?

_Wrong?_ The creature asked confused once more, but the emotion lasted only a short while before it was replaced again with the mind numbing terror from before. _Wrong! Swim! Flee! _It cried in her mind, making her heart pound almost painfully against her chest with the speed she assumed its own was racing at.

_Where are you going?_ Tae cried, feeling strangely deserted by this new creature.

_Away! Away! Get away! Must get away! _

_Away from what?_

_Away from the giant-tooth-and-fin! Away! Away or stillness!_ The creature's voice was growing smaller and smaller in the young woman's mind, as if the distance between them was rapidly increasing.

_What is the giant-tooth-and-fin?_ Tae asked it urgently, a fear all of her own slowly creeping into existence.

_Giant! Many times we! Eat! Kill! We flee! We be away or stillness! If we be stillness then giant-tooth-and-fin eat we!_

Eat? Exactly what was in those waters? Tae whimpered, clinging to her dragon like a child. Ninaru hummed louder, nuzzling his Rider closer to him, but the fear persisted and she asked the creature one final question. A question she worried she already knew the answer to. _What is stillness?_

The creature's voice was quiet and small over their connection, fading quickly as it fled. _Stillness! No swim! Red water! Away! Away or stillness! Away or red-!_ And then the creature was gone, its voice silenced either by the distance or by something else. A 'something' Tae did _not_ want to think of for very long.

_Tae, there is something in the water… Something big…_ Ninaru repeated softly, nudging the young woman to her feet. She noticed then that his eyes were opened and that he had stopped humming. Something was wrong, he was too calm, too well hiding of the note of alarm that only she would ever be able to hear in his usually soothing voice. _Go above. Inform the captain, and I will try to contact master Treagan and maser Abraeil and ask their council on the matter. Go now, quickly!_ He nudged her again, the ridges on his nose pushing sharply against her back and shoulders as she stumbled for the stairway she had descended previously to reach him.

Time seemed to slow down, and her feet dragged sluggishly as if held in a thick bog. But Tae knew somewhere in the back of her mind that it couldn't have taken her more than a minute to reach the upper decks. "Captain! Captain!" She cried, receiving both wary and curious looks from the crewmen who paused their work to watch the girl – still dressed in her bed clothes – race for the captain. "Captain! There's something in the water!" The Rider called up to where he stood, cupping her hands around her mouth to make the sound carry better.

The captain of that vessel's name was Darrow Gale, and many said he was as wild and restless as his name suggested. He had vivid green eyes and hair bleached by the sun that fell in choppy layers to the tops of his shoulders that he cut himself; usually it was worn in a messy ponytail. Darrow was a well formed man, his muscles pronounced and chiseled into his figure from a lifetime on the sea. His crew whispered that salt ran in his veins along with the blood and that was what made him so fierce. Tae didn't care, with his no nonsense attitude and hooked nose that was left crooked like a hawk's beak from a bar fight he never would agree to talk about, he exuded the bad boy persona that made girls fall in love even with the idea of him. Although on a normal day Tae would have been no exception to this, then her fear was too great for her to think of anything other than getting the crew and her dragon to safety. Preferably on dry land.

"What was that, miss?" Darrow called back, a crashing wave having drowned her voice in its pounding hiss.

"There's something in the water!" She yelled louder, pronouncing each word with care in the hopes that he would hear. Her nails dug into the side railing of the ship, creating small notches in the wood as she used it to balance herself.

Everything afterward happened in such a blur, one second she was fine, and the next gravity seemed to have turned off. Tae vaguely recognized Naru's voice in the back of her mind, saying her name with a strange sense of urgency. And then there was the shift to Darrow's gaze, as if he had seen something out of the corner of his eye; the shadow that had crossed his face when what he saw was not a welcoming sight. He yanked his gaze back to her, and reached out a hand, his mouth opening as if he would say something. Perhaps ask her to explain exactly _what_ was in the water with them. But he never spoke, or if he did, his voice was lost to the sound of wood cracking and giving way to insurmountable force. Something had hit the boat, and _hard_. For a split second, the young Rider was aware of herself falling, the railing that had once kept her standing having slammed abruptly into her ribs and thrown her over its shoulder. She flipped over and over in midair before finding an equilibrium with her back facing the water. Darrow extended his hand further like he could reach her, and for some reason, Tae reached out her own hand like she would catch herself on his arm. But when gravity found her again, it pulled her down without hesitation, vengeful that she had escaped its hold no matter how brief the amount of time it had been.

Somewhere within the ship, Erevu was waking crankily and alone before he could take in what was going on and his irritation could turn to fear as well. And Ninaru… His bellowing roar, as he realized he could not save his beloved Rider, echoed in Tae's ears as she split the roiling waves with the back of her neck and shoulders, the frigid water closing over her with an icy grip.

And then… _Nothing…_


	6. Chapter 5 : Argetbrun

**AN: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for how long it's taken me to post. I lost my muse for sooooo long . But! I'm able to write more now, so let's see how long I can keep this story going! Thank you to any readers who have stuck with this, and thanks to all you new readers too ^_^ As always, R&R! I love feedback!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: <strong>_**Argetbrun**_

Sailing was his life. It had been his dream as a child, his passion as teenager, and now it was his life's work as an adult. For 27 long years, Darrow Gale has kicked, clawed, punched, and stabbed his way to the top. Like any true sea dog, he had done his fare share of under the table deals, and had even spent some time pirating the open waters surrounding Alagaësa. He had built a reputation, a _name_, for himself. So, it wasn't strange for him when people began to charter his vessel. He was the big fish in the water, and when it comes to water, it's always a good idea to have the big fish on your side, right?

For the past five years, the seaman had spent his time chartering voyages from different ports along the coast of the homeland, sometimes for merchants, sometimes for provincial dignitaries, sometimes for people who had paid him particularly large amounts of gold and jewels to forget their names entirely… He was always prepared for the worst, and the best of passengers or cargo. His crew was a group of strong, loyal men who had grown to honor and respect their captain throughout the years. Sure some had remained with him longer than others – like his first mate, Jameson Tallow – but even those who had signed on for this voyage alone regarded him with a very flattering sense of awe. Yes, Darrow had thought himself prepared for any and all sorts of cargo. That is until a certain, _influential_ client had shown interest in his skills.

At first, the man had been very secretive with exactly what Darrow was to do, but when the story finally came out, even that silver-tongued "black beard" had been taken quite off guard. Transport a Rider from the Forgotten Isles to Alagaësa, but not only the rider, oh no, her _dragon_ as well. At first, the captain had been incredulous, becoming angry with what he then saw as a fake deal, nibbling at the hook with no real intention of biting. But as the man had gone on, explaining the urgency and delicacy of such a voyage, even the famed Darrow Gale was at a loss as to how he could do as his employer asked. A dragon wouldn't fit on a ship, his small vessel had been built for speed and delicacy, the light frame of _The Red Lady_ would have been sent skidding over the water if a dragon so much as flapped their wings close enough to her. There was no possible way she would have been able to _carry_ one across open water! And thus it was a shocked and almost insulted captain who at first declined the job. It hadn't been two days later when he was contacted again.

The price had risen exponentially. With that much fortune in his coffers, Darrow would have been able to raise two more vessels as well as hire the men to crew them and _still_ have enough left over to retire early. Now, the captain wasn't much for numbers, but with the amount he had been offered, he was estimating a plush house on a hill overlooking the harbor well before his blonde hair would turn silver. Impossible or not, he would have been a fool to have denied the man then, and thus a new deal was struck.

"Okay, you have yourself a captain and a crew, but what did you have in mind for a vessel? My _Lady_ is much too light to transport a dragon, especially one of the size you describe. And then there's the question of where would the dragon reside during the actual voyage? I hardly think the beast would agree to being towed along behind and even if it would, those are dangerous waters, and there've been whispers of the Nïdhwal showing their scaly heads again. I wouldn't dare make such a crossing with anything weaker than an iron-wood hull." Darrow had explained, trying to figure out how he was going to make this work. He would need no less than a miracle!

"Worry not, captain. My people will build you a ship finer than any you have seen yet, and probably larger too." The man had laughed at that, he had seemed to be quite easily entertained, much more amiable than the sapphire leviathan who had followed at his heels like a trained dog. "There will plenty of room for your crew, supplies, _and_ our dragon."

And thus, the deal had been sealed, with a firm handshake and a spoken oath that bound them both through honor and pride.

Seeing _Argetbrun_ for the first time had made the seaman's mouth drop. Never had he seen a finer work of craftsmanship, the seamless joints between the mast and the wooden planking of each of its three levels, as if it had grown that way straight out of the ground. Darrow had briefly entertained the fantasy that if he had looked beneath the belly of the ship, he would find a tangle of roots reaching out in every direction, burying deep into the sandy earth. The vessel, if such a masterpiece could even be called such a crude term, boasted a three story structure; a lower storage area that would also act as the housing for the dragon, a middle section that would act as housing for his crew with the customary private quarters for himself as well as another private room for the Rider, and then an upper level that was the actual deck of the ship. However, the most interesting feature of the ship was not the different levels, or the towering main mast that extended what must have been at least seventy feet into the air, rather, it was the double doored opening leading from the center of the top deck straight down into the underbelly of the work of art. An entrance and exit for the dragon that they would be transporting. The captain had almost cried it was so beautiful.

"Is she good enough, captain?" His employer had asked while walking down the docks, showing the seaman his new home for the duration of the crossing.

"Good enough? Aye! In fact you'll have a cursed time prying my fingers from the helm! But what, if I may ask, does the name mean? _Argetbrun_? I've never studied the ancient language, I'm afraid." He had offered a polite chuckle, but his curiosity was genuine. A ship's name was meant to be significant to each vessel, as much a description as it was a personification of the craft itself.

Here his employer had given what might have been construed as a mischievous smile, stopping at the end of the pier and motioning toward the ship's bow. Darrow had honestly gasped at the exquisite adornment there. The sculpture was crafted entirely of silver, a dragon with front claws crossed over its belly as if in flight, its wings extended back along the ribs of the vessel almost reaching the middle of the main deck. Its long neck had not forgotten a single detail of the muscle structure or scales of the mighty beast it imitated so splendidly, and the narrow, angular head that extended from the arched 'C' of its neck displayed a mouthful of razor sharp teeth housed within a maw opened wide in a magnificent roar. Looking at it there, the pier rocking beneath his feet like a watery cradle, docked rather than cresting over an ocean wave as it should have been, the captain was breathless in wonderment. This ship was the dream of any true seaman, and _he_ was the lucky bastard fortunate enough to captain it.

"_Argetbrun_, Silverbrow. Fitting don't you think?"

Darrow could only nod in agreement, completely dumbstruck by this heavenly work, surely even the gods were jealous of him.

"So when will we depart?"

His employer had seemed genuinely surprised at this question, as if the knowledge should have been obvious. "Tomorrow morning." And it had all been as wild as a sea storm from there on out.

Given such a short amount of time to outfit both his crew and the ship with the necessary tools and provisions to make such a voyage, a feat that would prove more difficult than actually building the vessel after he had learned of the Elves' involvement with the task, Darrow was going to be hard pressed to meet the deadline. However, Darrow Gale was not a man to be underestimated, and the next morning found that boat buzzing with activity as final preparations were being made before they would cast off.

"So where is that dragon anyway…?" The captain muttered, pacing along the gently rocking pier as he looked up at the sun, trying to judge how much time they had left. He had found his answer in the dropping jaw of his first mate. The reaction was perhaps less than it could have been.

Darrow's immediate impression of Ninaru was a black shadow; however, as he dipped past the sun, the captain realized his scales were like sea spray coming off of a cresting wave – a snowy white with traces of oceanic sapphires. He was a giant, not quite as large as the great blue that was the companion of his employer, but in size alone he certainly deserved the term 'leviathan'. Waves of salty water rushed away from his broad chest as the dragon made a watery landing, and the seaman was amazed by the delicacy and precision in the action. For such a giant creature, his wake had been no bigger than that left behind by _The Lady_, along with a marriage of care and grace, the rider on his back had hardly to shift her weight in response to the halt as the water clung and pulled at them, slowing their momentum.

The diamond creature swam like a snake through the water, slipping over the surface of the ocean in an "S" shape, his tail both rudder and propeller. Every once in a while, a wave would crash against his beautifully scaled side and the water would leap up as if to claim the rider for its own as well, but the salty spray never truly reached whom the captain now saw to be a young woman, instead it seemed to meet with some invisible field, bursting against an unseen, solid force before returning to the home waters. The rider didn't even seem to be paying attention to the magic she was working, or at least it seemed to come with such ease it was almost a subconscious act.

Steadily, the dragon made his way toward the floating pier, pulling along the end broadside and laying his wing over the edge to sort of anchor him in place. Even though the action had been one of good intent, meant to lessen the extremity of the rise and fall with each wave so that his Rider would find it easier to dismount, the sheer weight of his wing alone made the pier moan and creak, partially rising out of the water a few feet down, the end dipping low so that the wooden slats that made up the walkway ducked repeatedly beneath the water's surface with each wave that rolled toward the island cliffs not far away. Again, the former pirate wondered how such a magnificent beast would ever be able spend the duration of a journey rocking about in the hold of a ship without accidentally finding some way to pierce the walls of the vessel. His anxiety was short lived, though, as he looked back at _Argetbrun_, taking in the breathtaking artistry that went into crafting the boat; hell, into crafting the figurehead alone. Now, being able to compare the two, he realized the silver dragon decorating the bow of the _Argetbrun_ slightly resembled the diamond leviathan he would be transporting. The same beast that was currently looking at him as if considering simply snapping him up as a morning snack before flying off and forgetting this entire endeavor as a bad dream. Needless to say, the captain did not entertain the notion for long, nor did he get a chance to.

"He won't bite you, you know."

Finally, it came time to recognize the woman who had been paired with such a magnificent beast. Looking at the two side by side, the bipedal creature dimmed in comparison; hardly able to live up to the glittering spectacle of her bonded's scales which the captain now saw contained not only pale shades of sapphire, but the softest kisses of lavender as well. Truly, this was a beast worth making the trip to see, the pay becoming simply a side perk.

The first thing Darrow noticed about the woman was her youth. Certainly not in the stoic reserve of her angled features, but more in the brightness of her gaze and the graceful fluidity to her stride. While the latter could have simply been the fact that she was obviously no human, her figure too much resembling that of the few Elves the seadog had been fortunate enough to meet in his lifetime for him to consider such an idea, the captain instead chose to associate it with her age – or lacking thereof – finding a certain charm in a young lady that he found would go with her person quite well. As she grew nearer, though, his eyes drew to her most prominent feature, the round orbs following him with a gaze as level as that of her bonded: her eyes. Unable to chose a single color, they varied, fluctuating based on a system he had no way of defining. He watched as they shifted from a sterling silver, to a lilac shade of violet, flashing to a lightning blue, before steadying back on the bright hues of the same metal that composed the decorative figurehead. This shade of silver, as varied and flecked with lighter and darker grays as it was, seemed much more complete and as such held his gaze much easier than some plain old sculpture. Coupled with the slightly angular features of her feminine visage, and the way her brown hair, streaked through with blonde and mahogany, fell in messy waves around her cheeks and over her shoulders… He studied her closely, deciding she might have been considered plain had it not been for those wondrous eyes… Very quickly, the captain decided to get closer to this woman, if only for the sake of discovering the secret behind those eyes.

* * *

><p>Five days they had been on that ship, and for five days, Darrow Gale had been dreading the moment when he would have to sail it back and retrieve <em>The Red Lady<em>. Sure he was fond of the old ship, but it was a dinghy when placed beside _Argetbrun_. Sure _The Lady_ was more glamorous in design, her body lithe and slender, meant for cutting quickly through the waves where _Argetbrun_ shouldered aside the ocean with its massive frame, but the dragon ship – as he had come to term it in his head – possessed an almost magical quality that captivated the very soul of those who looked at it. He could already tell his crewmen had fallen under its spell, especially after they had discovered the ease with which such a giant creation could be manned. It had taken them all by surprise when the ship had practically sailed from the pier almost of its own accord. For a vessel of its size, _Argetbrun_ caught the wind and flew with it. And being so high above the water? Intoxicating. Darrow had climbed once to the cradle created between the dragon's shoulders and the bow of the boat, its wings extending back on both sides to create a sort of safety railing. He had wondered then if that was what flying felt like, the wind in your hair, the sea spray leaping up to lick at your arms and face. Bliss did not even begin to describe the exuberant joy that had blossomed in his chest.

"Captain?"

Darrow looked up, jolted from his silent reverie leaning over the helm and day dreaming like a school girl, and gave a curt nod, his mouth curling in a wry smirk. "Almost makes you want to run away with 'er, eh Jameson?" The seaman asked his voice gruff and filled with old mischief.

"Oh aye, captain. The men would be halfway around Alagaësa by now if you would only give the word." The first mate replied jokingly, clasping his hands behind his back and rocking his weight from his heels to his toes to match the rocking of the ship.

For a while, the two men stood in silent admiration of their temporary vessel, looking out over the railing of the quarterdeck to oversee the activity going on below as the crew went about their duties; each equally in awe of the masterpiece they had been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to man even for a short time. Darrow had become good friends with his first mate. The man had a good, sensible head on his shoulders and leveled out the captains more reckless behavior by thinking things through with finite detail. His most appealing quality, though, was the way he felt no need to fill peaceful silence with meaningless words. There were times when the captain wanted only to sit and think, and Jameson was perfect company to have around when he was absorbed in his thoughts. He didn't have to worry about missing a conversation he didn't care about. But on this afternoon his second in command seemed to have something on his mind.

"Captain, some of the men are getting concerned about the water. It's too choppy for such good weather, don't you think?" There was concern in the man's more refined voice, reminding Darrow once again of his more elegant background. Of all the men on the crew, Jameson was the only merchant's son, and the only man to have run _away_ from wealth.

Darrow motioned for his first mate to take the helm and when the rudder was securely under the man's control, the captain walked to peer over the railing of the ship. The _Argetbrun_ was moving at a swift pace, making about 7 knots, 10 when the wind really blew, and thus it was difficult to tell exactly how angry the sea was when it was already crashing so violently against the ribs of the boat. Darrow shielded his eyes with a hand, the glare of the sun on each cresting wave hurting his eyes and making it impossible to see too far. Much to his concern, the shadow he noticed beneath the ship was certainly close enough that the glare didn't bother him.

The amorphous blob was long and black. He couldn't tell exactly the size or shape of the object, though. Unfortunately it wasn't close enough to surface for that. Could it have been a sea shelf? No, impossible, they had taken this exact route on the voyage to the island and he definitely hadn't noticed this then or he was sure he would have remembered it.

"Jameson, why don't you take a look at the ocean for me?" Darrow proposed casually, his tight expression conveying the underlying message and the need for secrecy, as he walked back to claim the helm.

"Of course captain." Jameson replied curiously, quirking a brow as he turned for the railing. "I never grow tired of the sea…" Sarcasm? Yes. Did the captain care? Hell no. "Oh…" Darrow tried not to look smug when his first mate returned.

At that moment, both men knew the most important thing was to not alarm the crew. A frightened crew would cripple their effectiveness and _Argetbrun_ would soon be left standing in the water leaving them easy prey for whatever was stalking them from the depths. _Now just calm down. You don't know what it is yet. It could just be a shelf you didn't notice._ Darrow told himself, trying to keep his appearance calm and leisurely, thinking of the crew, always the crew. "I don't know what that is, but I've got a feeling in my gut that it can't be good." The captain said lowly, careful not to let the wind carry his voice too far.

"There's no way to find out without catching the attention of the men." Jameson replied, sounding thoughtful, his face troubled.

"No, it would leave us standing in open water. We might as well tie the sails if we let the crew know anything before we're certain of what it is." Darrow replied sternly, shaking his head. "For now they have to be kept in the dark."

"You do know _we_ are technically 'in the dark' as well..?"

"Let's leave the small talk for later, shall we." The captain's voice was dark now, all business.

"Right.. So what do we do? You think that Rider could take a look?" Jameson asked, his chin cradled in the 'V' between his thumb and forefinger.

"You want me to send a woman into the water?!"

"No, no, of course not. I meant with her mind. They're all trained to expand their consciousness aren't they? Let her expand it down to the bottom of the ocean, maybe she can find something out."

Darrow thought for a moment. He loathed asking a guest to help, it went against his pride and honor both, but Jameson was the more rational one in times that called for such finesse, and it's not like he was shoving her off the boat or anything, it was just her mind, and you can't attack something that isn't physical…right? "Okay…" The captain finally agreed, nodding his head with a sigh. "I'll go get her and maybe-" His voice cut off by a commotion on the main deck, and the seaman turned away from his first mate to gaze over his vessel like a hawk over a field.

The first thing he noticed was that she was still wearing the clothes she had slept in, just a thin pair of calfskin pants that hung loosely on her hips and stopped below her knees, her legs bare from there down including her feet, and a thin cloth shirt that hung open at her collar bone, diving downward between her breasts in a way that might have made his heart burn with lust had the situation been different. The second thing he noticed were her eyes, even with the distance separating them he could see the glacier brightness of the blue sapphires. Beautiful, she never ceased to amaze him.

"I think she's saying something." Jameson noted from behind the captain's shoulder, jolting Darrow back into the real world, reminding him of what was going on.

"You're right... _Damn_ this wind and these waves! I can't hear a word she's saying." Darrow growled before calling out, leaning on the railing that stood in front of the helm. "What was that, miss?"

He could see the strain on her face when she yelled again, but he only caught bits and pieces, the rest ripped away by the wind and the crashing of the waves against the boat. "There…um…the wa…r!"

The captain drew back abruptly, completely at a loss as to what this girl was saying. Slowly, though, his brain was able to work it out. Between the fear on her angular visage, and the anxious looks passing between his crew as they turned from each other to their captain with frightened expectancy. Lead settled in his gut, as any and all hope of that shadow being 'just a sea shelf' vanished. And speaking of a shadow… Darrow felt his body turn to ice as he caught movement from the corner of his eye, something flying through the water straight toward them. _Gods help us.._ His gaze fell back to the Rider, Tae, and he could see the realization in her eyes, his own fear echoed on her face. She knew something was wrong, but she knew exactly _how_ wrong, and that only made it worse.

Darrow opened his mouth and reached a hand over the railing with intention of motioning her away from the edge of the boat, her name was on his lips when the collision came.

The moan and creak of splintering wood filled the air, and the captain felt his body jerked forcefully to the side, a grunt of surprise and discomfort forcing itself through a clenched jaw as he gripped the railing hard to steady himself. He looked back to where Tae had been standing in time to see her fall. "No!" He cried, lunging for the edge of the elevated deck he stood on. He was vaguely aware of Jameson's arms wrapping around his waist and holding him back, keeping him too from going over. Though in this case it would have been of his own volition. Left arm thrown over the edge of _Argetbrun's_ sturdy side, his chest suspended over the railing by the brace of his right arm bent against his chest, Darrow called her name, his voice ringing almost desperately even as the ongoing ruckus drowned him out.

Tae's eyes met his then and he couldn't help but notice how lovely her eyes looked when they were that blue. Her hand raised toward him, as if they would simply catch each other and all would be right again. But her back split the water with a sharp _***crack***_ like a whip against the waves, her dragon roared from beneath the floorboards and then all hell broke loose.

He had thought the first collision sounded bad, but when Ninaru's massive frame forced its way through the main deck of _Argetbrun_, his ears wailed at the shriek of shattering wood. Even worse was the ongoing snarls and roars as his diamond body was stuck and freed from his holding again and again. "Get back! Get away!" Darrow cried to his crew, yanking free of Jameson's strong hold.

The dragon was enraged by the endangerment of his rider, flailing his wings and limbs about without paying attention to what they connected with. The mainmast splintered and cracked as one of his massive wings unfurled against it, falling down as if it had been no more than a toothpick. The captain watched in horror as the scene played out before his eyes, feeling more than helpless as he watched his men narrowly avoid death again and again. "Dragon!" He bellowed, his voice straining to be heard. "Ninaru! You must _stop_! You'll sink us!" Not so much as a glance from the leviathan, the man's words going unheard or ignored.

Ninaru yanked and pulled against the ship, ropes falling and tangling in his wings and legs as another mast fell when his tail whipped against it, splintered shards of wood flying through the air the size of a man's arm with a tip as sharp as a spear. There was a splash as the wooden beam fell sideways into the water, crashing heavily through the safety railing of the boat as it slid into the ocean with the growling moan of wood scraping against itself. Then the dragon roared again, and the boat lilted dangerously on its side, jerking Darrow's eyes away from the fallen mast to watch as Ninaru launched himself from the boat, but- "No.. **No wait!**" The captain felt himself flying then, his warning unheeded. The ropes, they had been everywhere, draped across his back like a holey cape, wrapped at the base of his wings, hooked over and around the spikes about his hips; when the leviathan leaped into the air, the boat had shoved back with the force, but the ropes had held the two forces together. Ninaru snarled viciously as he was snapped backwards in the air, flipping onto his back only to roll so that when his enormous body crashed into the sea, he met the rolling waves with his shoulder. _Argetbrun_ hadn't been so lucky. The sound of splintering boards and masts seemed endless, half of the main deck ripping away along with parts of the bow, the shift left rocking drastically from side to side. As Ninaru disappeared beneath the surface, the front of the vessel creaked and whined before peeling away from the ship like a bandage, sinking quickly as the silver dragon dragged it down, down, down.

Horror beat in his chest, or was that his heart? Darrow couldn't tell, but he knew he had been away from the action far too long. "Get the lifeboats! **The lifeboats**!" He bellowed out the order, Jameson hot on his heels as the captain took the steps leading down from the quarter deck to the main deck, or what was left of it. "Everyone move! **Now**!" Finally, the order _all_ of their lives depended upon.

With the return of their captain, the men flew into action, once again a crew rather than blubbering children running for a safety that didn't exist. While the larger portion of them worked on untangling and cutting the life boats free, some of them dared the underbelly of the ship to retrieve the supplies they would be needing if they were to make it to land. Two barrels of water emerged, followed by a crate of what smelled citrusy – probably limes – and then a few more crates of which the contents Darrow had no idea. What he did know, was that with each container that passed toward the lifeboats, they looked a bit more waterlogged. Finally, men started climbing through the giant hole Ninaru had created, some of them with water marks up to their chest. "I'm sorreh cap'n." One of them said breathlessly as a few of his fellows helped haul him onto the deck. "The res' of it wus alrea'y undah th'water."

Darrow clapped the man on the shoulder before turning to the rest of his men. "Alright boys! Let's get off this pile of firewood before it sinks out from under us!" He ordered, and his crew began to file toward their salvation, slipping down ropes to land directly in the dinghies or simply jumping into the water and hauling themselves into the small crafts afterward. The captain himself hesitated, however, lingering at the edge, Jameson looking at him questioningly. "It's been a while since-" Again the boat was tossed about like a child's toy in a rain puddle, and it was all the two men could do to hang onto what remained of the railing and hope it was still sturdy enough to keep them from falling to their deaths amongst the clump of dinghies below them. A roar ripped through the air and water sprayed around them as a diamond creature broke the surface.

Ninaru panted heavily, the sodden creature on his back no better, her coughs sounding full of liquid. "Tae!" Darrow cried, wondering what had happened in those dark waters, and how they had gone under on one side, yet appeared on the other. Perhaps there was a current? But then the ship would have been moving too.. _Forget it, it doesn't matter right now._ "**Tae**!" She turned her head toward him, slumped over her dragon's neck as the leviathan made its way toward the lifeboats. "Come on, let's get down there." Darrow said, motioning for Jameson to go first down the ropes, afterward, the captain descended, thankful when his boot soles thudded against the _solid_ floor of his new "ship". "Well, it's no _Argetbrun_, but…" Darrow didn't have to finish his sentence as the entire crew turned to watch the once beautiful vessel begin to inch slowly beneath the ocean surface. It would be a few hours still before it sank entirely, but such a delay only drug out the heartbreak that much longer.

"Is everyone alright?"

The men turned as a whole at the ragged voice, many of them not having heard the Rider speak for the duration of the voyage. The few of them to which this applied looked as if their eyes would leap from their heads, Darrow noticed, as if they had believed she couldn't speak at all.

"Well, shaken, but I think we all made it out okay." Jameson responded first, his voice level and reasonable, dipping his head respectfully before falling silent again. There came a following murmur of agreement from the crew.

"Good." The Rider turned, her eyes now shifting toward a darker shade of blue, touching on the fringes of violet. "Where is Erevu?"

Most of the crew had no idea who she was talking about now. There hadn't been anyone aboard the ship by that name, however, the captain's heart dropped into his stomach as the woman's gaze settled upon him. _He_ knew who Erevu was, but he didn't know _where_ he was. "Tae, I think-" Darrow's apology was silenced by the sharp whistle of a bird. Everyone's head turned up, and with Rider's went her arm. From the sky dove a dark blur, wings flaring at the last moment as the Osprey landed expertly on her forearm. For a moment the two regarded each other as if sharing some form of communication, then Tae smiled and launched the bird into the air once more where it began to circle overhead. She seemed calmer now, honestly, Darrow was just happy they were all alive.

"Are you alright, Tae?" The captain asked, his voice laden with concern and guilt. He should have gone in after her…

"Of course, I'm a dragon Rider. It takes more than a little water to get me down." She replied, something about the lightness of her tone seeming forced. But it brought a short round of chuckles from the men, and for that Darrow was grateful.

"What was that thing..?" He asked, worried he already knew the answer.

Tae hesitated before answering, as if debating whether or not to share the whole truth. "A Nïdhwal." She finally said, her voice falling into wary neutrality. "It's gone for now but… It would be unwise to linger here too long." For a moment no one moved, and Tae had to push them again. "If you have any rope, Ninaru can help tow you to shore." The woman stated, the men sharing puzzled looks.

It would have been nightfall by the time they made it back, even on the ship, longer if they had to row all the way there. Land wasn't even in sight yet making everyone wonder the same thing: how would she know where she was going? But there was something in the steadiness of her gaze, a clarity that the seaman trusted. "Come on boys, **rope**!" He prompted, sending his crew into a flurry of motion as each began dragging coils of rope from the bottom of their dinghies. One by one the four lifeboats, each containing six men plus a "helmsman", were each tied to the dragon. His partner tying the ends around the spike behind her.

"Make sure you leave enough room for his tail, otherwise you'll wreck your boats." The Rider cautioned before turning back. Not before, however, meeting the captain's gaze for a brief moment. She looked tired, exhausted really, and she was moving slowly as if the animation caused her physical pain. Darrow wanted to insist that she come sit in the rowboat, but after considering it he realized she was probably more comfortable with her dragon. Still, the ex-pirate couldn't shake off the guilt and shame at having to impose upon a client in such a manner, especially a woman as young as herself. _Why would they chose someone like her to make such a journey?_ He wondered, knowing the question would never be answered. At least, not for someone who didn't matter, not for someone like him. Darrow sighed, leaning down to prop himself on his elbows which rested on his knees, the wooden board that acted as a seat uncomfortable against his rear in any position.

_This is gonna be a long trip…_


	7. Chapter 6 : Sparrow

**AN: First of all, I'd like to sincerely apologize for the giant gap in between posting these chapters. A few months ago I found out that I had cancer, and have been fighting a long and hard battle against the damn thing ever since. I'm finally starting on the uphill slope though, and I'm able to do a bit more things with my free time than sit there and think about surviving =P **

**To those who have stuck with this, I salute you! To those yet to find this fic, I hope that I won't let you down. **

**Now, without further ado... **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Sparrow<strong>

She was running. No, climbing. Scrambling for a purchase on the face of whatever cliff she had fallen from. Where was Ninaru? Why didn't he catch her? The pressure of being so high up was crushing her, why had they gone so high in the first place? And why wasn't it colder? _Keep reaching…_ A voice whispered in her mind; soft, persuasive. Tae listened and fought harder to find the surface she so ardently sought. _Up, Tae. Up. _The voice suggested; soothing, calm. Up? How could she go up? She was falling. She was- Her eyes sprang open and she realized why the warm air seemed to want to flatten her against itself. It wasn't air at all, rather the icy depths of the ocean. Funny… She couldn't feel the cold anymore, but in her fuddled state she couldn't remember if that was good or bad. Was she adjusting to the frigid temperatures or was her body simply shutting down from the shock?

_Tae!_ Ninaru's voice was desperate in her mind; the Rider could almost feel the sharpness of his claws digging into her consciousness. _Tae, swim! Swim now!_

She _was_ swimming. What did he think she was doing? Having a vacation? The indignant hurt soon gave way to honest fear, searing lead flowering in her limbs as her muscles screamed against the injustice of such overuse. _Have to keep going….Have to!_ She thrashed about violently, her body betraying her when the need had become so dire. _Failure…_ The word echoed through her thoughts, brutal and stinging like the judging stares of her peers back in her homeland. There had been no place for her there. There would be no place for her in Alagaësa. There was certainly no place for her at sea. The young woman thought she would cry at the thought until she remembered the salt ridden ocean that cradled her, continuously pulling her down, down, down to its arctic bosom. Perhaps the gods would welcome her in their summer vale and she could cry there. Her eyes closed, heavy lids slowly slipping downward over the unfocused orbs.

_Naru…_

_Tae! Swim, please!_ So desperate… Pleading with her to swim, to live, but she was so, so tired…

_Then you will die._ The voice was deep, ominous, bordering on cruel without leaving the grey fields of neutrality. Something about it struck deep into the very chords of her soul, leaving the helpless Rider with a very strong, very primal _fear_. The We's had warned her, its jumping happiness so quickly turned to abject horror. Why had she not acted sooner?

_Ninaru?_ Even her mental voice sounded meek as she tentatively poked at her own mind for his presence, but a dam had been built between them and she was cut off from her beloved dragon. _Where are you? What are you?_ The Rider snarled with her mind, fear making her anger and the anger feeding her muscles with adrenaline. There were black dots dancing before her eyes, but she ignored them, whipping about in her watery grave as she hunted down this invisible speaker.

_I am here…_ The dark voice replied, but all Tae could see was shadow as black as a plague. _You are blind, little minnow. I am here…_ There was something dangerous about the way this thing addressed her, some sort of threat lying beneath the word. 'Minnow', she was no minnow. She was a Dragon Rider! She was not helpless! _And yet you drown so easily._ The being seemed to think for a moment before continuing. _You are not a minnow. You are a bird. A sparrow with a broken wing. But what is a crippled sparrow doing so deep in my realm? _Another pause, and then: _Answer me Sparrow, I am hungry and curiosity will only hold me for so long._

Quickly. _Quickly_! Tae jerked her head left and right, up and down, frantic to find this speaking thing. Maybe she could barter with it, promise it gold or riches – whatever would strike its fancy – for it to help her out of this water.

The thing laughed portentously, mal intent clear in that rumbling mirth the sound of which was like a hull smashing against itself underwater. _Keep your gold little sparrow. _And then again as always, _I am here…_

The Rider twisted about once more in the water, but only darkness met her gaze. For a moment Tae wondered if the black dots had consumed her vision, but she looked up and caught the glaring glimmer of sunlight slicing through the many reflections of the water. Strange that it would catch so solidly against the dimness that encased her.

_I am… __**Here**__…_

Tae screamed. A short burst of panicked shock strangled into silence by her hands slamming over her mouth so that what little air was left in her deflating lungs would not escape so quickly. Even more dots were born against her vision and she immediately regretted the lapse of judgment, but it would have taken quite a foolish man to look upon the monstrosity that she had and not feel terror alight upon their heart. For she had found her speaker, and just as quickly she wished for the ignorance that had shielded her. Its head was long and angular, jutting sharply out into the water to carve through the heavy weight of the ocean as it swam. In the 'V' underneath its jaw near where the bone came together to form its ridged chin, in the soft palette above which its tongue molded against the bottom of its mouth were two long tendrils, longer than her and even Darrow. They had to be at least seven feet long and were as dark as the night is long. More of the same tendrils sprouted from above its eyes where a unicorn's horn would have been, but these strands were different in that they stood one in front of the other and led to the top of the goliath's head where they paused. At the base of its skull – and what a massive skull it was, a horse and rider could have passed through its opened maw unscathed – a delicate membrane formed a filigree that followed the path of the beast's spine down to the very tip of its tail. From its breast grew two giant oars which slowly shaped the water beneath it with leisured precision, keeping weight, buoyancy, and direction constant at all times. It was like nothing she had seen before. A grotesque recreation of the beautiful dragons that claimed land and sky as their domain. For it might have been Ninaru's darker, misshapen compliment, and later Tae would wonder if there was some ancient ties between this beast and her bonded. But not then, then there was only time for fear as she stared into the giant sphere of a single glowing red eye, blood in its gaze in more than one way.

_You are not so blind as I thought little sparrow, but it seems that you are twice as dumb. Answer me now or forever lose your chance. Why are you here?_ It thundered profoundly, time quickly running out.

Wondering if she would die from lack of oxygen or from being eaten by this monster, Tae replied – the only thing she _could_ do in that moment. _I'm crossing to Alagaësa._ She tried to keep her voice terse, unbothered, but even she couldn't lie to herself. The exertion of her labor was taking its toll and there was a despairing note to her words as bit by bit she relinquished any hope of seeing the fabled world and meeting the newly hatched dragon.

_It looks like you are drowning to me little sparrow. Tell me, where are your wings?_

_I have no wings._

_Pity. If you could fly you might have made your crossing, but now you will die and I will eat you. A small meal, but the fish don't swim as deep as they once did and a hungry belly does not complain over a small morsel. _

_Why won't you help me?_ Unfair, it was all so unfair…

_Why would I?_ The beast seemed perplexed, as if it had never been asked for help.

_Because I am a Rider, and I could make it worth the effort._

_Your land-riches mean nothing to me. Gold is shiny and would flash in the light, the fish would see and I would be a hungry one indeed. _

_I will give you fish._

_You cannot swim. You drown before me, yet you promise fish? You are a funny little sparrow, but I am not so foolish to think you could bring me fish. Now hurry and die, I am hungry._

Hurry and die. Was that all she could do? How unfair…

The goliath's head jerked upward then and the light fractured again and again as the surface roiled and tossed as something split the icy waters anew. Annoyance blossomed in the bloody rubies of the beast's eye and it looked back to Tae with feral hunger. _Time is up little sparrow. A shame you lost your wings._ Its long, sinuous neck coiled back, each muscle tensing as it prepared to strike. It never got the chance.

Ninaru was there, a glowing diamond that fell upon this shadowy mass with the burning anger of a thousand suns. He did not roar, but his fury was plain to see if you knew how to look. His nostrils were clamped shut against the water, a translucent film covering his eye so that he could see in the murky depths. Unlike his bonded, the leviathan needed no time to find his opponent, spearing straight toward the darker creature's head with talons extended. But the dragon was not of the ocean and in the water he was bulky and uncoordinated, the water-snake dodged the attack easily and the whip of current off of its oar like fins buffeted the Rider through the blue nothingness with enough force to make her head spin. Tae flipped end over end as she spun away from the battle, and at the blow consciousness began to seep out of her like milk from a rotted bucket. Warmth caressed her body, the icy cold of the water's clutching talons losing its grip on her. Again her lids began to slide down until a voice, so soft and tender, could beg her into wakefulness. _Stay awake, sweet one, you must stay awake…_ Such a chore, she just wanted to sleep, to close her eyes and let the ocean carry her down into the rocking cradle of its arms. But her eyes forced themselves apart and she looked about to find her dragon still fighting the sea beast.

Ninaru was attacking from above, a strategy that might have worked had he been making a swift pass in the sky, but underwater it left his underbelly exposed and made it difficult to reach his opponent. The grotesque leviathan saw its advantage and refused to retreat because of it, lingering to test if it could win a bigger meal. Even though the mental link between them had shattered, Tae could still remember the empty gnawing hole that had been its hunger. Her vision had been reduced to little more than a narrow tunnel amongst a sea of black, oxygen deprivation stealing what bit of time she had left with deft quickness. _Naru…_ She called, but her dragon was still lost to her and kept at his fight with single minded ferocity.

Finally first blood was drawn when one of Ninaru's diamond claws raked across the serpent's narrow face, four individual furrows created where his talons had torn open the black flesh. A dark liquid spread into the water around the monster's head and it shrieked in pain, a brutal sound that seemed to be the offspring of a violin squeal and the sound of waves breaking against a cliff face. With the gods' blessed mercy it was enough to send the thing writhing away and in its absence the Rider's mind was once again flooded with her dragon's presence.

_Tae! _Relief colored his voice as he said her name, massive wings propelling him toward her. Ninaru slipped underneath his bonded, his movements a bit awkward in the water, and immediately swam for the surface once she was secure upon his back. _Hold fast little one…_ He pleaded, snaking through the water, using his wings to go faster.

Oh sweet air. Oxygen made her dizzy and her lungs burned as a very waterlogged Rider broke the surface. A few yards away sounded the heavy hiss as Ninaru released his breath and sucked in a fresh one. Tae gulped in the fresh air with relish, reveling in her new lease on life even while the oceans creeping tendrils fled from her in the form of streaming rivulets down her soaked body. Safe at last.

"**Tae**!"

The young woman jerked at the sound of her name spoke so frantically in Darrow's voice. Funny, he had never seemed the type to be 'frantic' about anything much less her. No matter, Tae pushed herself into a sitting position having belatedly realized she was slumped against her bonded's neck, and turned to face the captain and the broke remains of _Argetbrun_. Pale rose buds fell into the surprised shape of an 'O' as the Rider took in the ruin of the once great ship, every dreadful certainty filling her that the elves would not be pleased to hear what had become of their masterpiece. _Just another reason for them to dislike me I suppose…_ Tae thought with some amount of bitterness, though when she tried to decipher whether it was for herself or the elves she found the task impossible.

_Tae, Darrow._ Ninaru reminded, and the drenched woman upon his back snapped her thoughts back to the present.

It was Jameson who responded to her inquiry of their personal health, thankfully they had all made it through the attack alright. At least all the humans had, but there was one being she had yet to see since she surfaced. "Where is Erevu?" She tried to hide the terror she felt at his loss, but she doubted any of them would pick up on the subtle changes of her voice anyhow. A few of them she believed doubted her ability to speak at all much less could decipher the emotion within her words. _Erevu? Erevu to me._ The Rider commanded, searching the sea, the sky, the wreckage for any sign of an animal approaching them. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long for her soulmate to streak from the sky in the bleach-bellied form of an osprey. _Erevu…_ Tae cooed with relief as the bird settled on her arm.

_**You gave everyone quite a scare. Look, Ninaru even destroyed the ship and what a pretty thing it had been too. **_

_**Ninaru**__ sunk the Argetbrun?! _The dragon's whining groan was all the confirmation she needed, his head lowering abashedly to rest meekly on the water's surface.

_**Well I suppose it would have happened one way or another. If not Ninaru then that shadow beast and if not the shadow beast then your arrogant captain would have dashed it against some reef or cliff and stranded you all. And I would have to fly away and-**_

_Erevu._

_**Oh **__fine__**. There is land to the east but many leagues off still. It shall be well past nightfall by the time we reach it. I suggest you get flying and quickly, it simply wouldn't do to get caught in this deep water when the sun falls. **_

There was something trembling in her soulmate's voice, something Tae decided she did not like at all. Still, she couldn't simply leave Darrow and his crew, not after they had risked so much by agreeing to make the crossing. Many of the men looked as if they were ready to quit the sea that moment if there had been a way. _I can't just leave them all here alone. They won't make it to land on their own._

_**Suit yourself then, but I refuse to die in the name of these vagabonds. **_

Tae had smile in spite of herself. As ever, Erevu was arrogant and full of himself like a peacock looking to breed.

_Keep smiling._ Ninaru cautioned lowly. _They see you and follow the example. Keep smiling._

The Rider followed his council and feigned a good mood as she continued her conversation with the sailors. She hoped they couldn't hear the falseness of her cheer.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until after they were well underway that Tae allowed herself some respite in her masks, leaning heavily against the spike before her as the toll of the day's events echoed in the ache of her muscles. Ninaru's bare sides resonated heat without a saddle to separate them, but there was a chill that had settled deep in the Rider's bones despite the drying of her clothes and the fires churning within the dragon's great belly. As the sun sank faster and faster, dipping its nether into the water, the chill only grew and as it grew it birthed a wracking shake.<p>

_Is it a fever?_ The pearly dragon asked worriedly as he towed the boats through the water, his form slipping easily through the waves.

_I don't feel sick at all, just cold._

_Perhaps from the water, you were under longer than anyone else._

_It's not a fever._ Her verdict was absolute. It could _not_ be a fever because she could _not_ afford to be sick. She had already destroyed their beautiful ship and their trip would be delayed because of it. Tae could only imagine what sort of lectures her Ebrithil was concocting at that very moment.

_Perhaps you should send a message ahead? Erevu could fly one._ Ninaru offered, his voice innocent and helpful.

_**Better yet, how about you fly on ahead lizard and I'll play show pony for a while.**_ Erevu snapped, his voice sharp and poignant, using Tae's mind as a median for the two would make no mental bond of their own.

"Both of you be silent… My head aches suddenly…" The Rider moaned aloud, slumping further against the spike in front of her. Concern shook the words from her soulmate and dragon, each of them quiet at her order. And thank the gods for that. Tae hurt everywhere. Her chest ached and her lungs refused to stretch for any sort of large breath and so her oxygen came in short pants that made Ninaru worry even more. Her eyes stung from the salt water and her skin itched and felt tight and leathery as she dried out, a dusting of salt lingering after that felt sticky and grainy on her body. The cold was damnably persistent, ever creeping through her limbs and reaching relentlessly toward her core. It wasn't long after the sun completely sank below the surface of the far off horizon that she began to shiver and tremble in spite of her best efforts to keep control of herself.

_Tae, you are sick. _Ninaru said softly in her head, anxiety plastered over his voice. She knew what he wanted, and she wasn't going to leave these men here alone so far from shore simply so she could rush ahead to Master Rolendis.

_I'm fine. _Her reply was sharp and finite, hoping that he wouldn't argue.

_You are shaking out of your skin. You need rest and a fire._

_I'm sitting on a Dragon, how much closer could I get to a fire._

Ninaru snorted and smoke danced from his nostrils in slender tendrils, twisting and jerking before dissipating into the salty air. But for a moment he remained silent, and the Rider was thankful for the respite. With every thought through her head there came an accompanying jab of pain, a lancing twinge that speared through her skull one end to the next. So intent was she on documenting her own hurts and aches, Tae didn't realize when her dragon had slowed to a stop. At least not until he gave a small slant to one side before rocking back up again and buoying in the water. _What's going on? _She asked him, gingerly lifting her head and looking around.

Darrow was approaching her slowly, carefully picking his way across the dragon's back with the utmost of care as if afraid to fall and impale himself on one of the spikes along Ninaru's spine. _Getting you help. _The dragon answered brusquely, more smoke drifting upward from his diamond nose. Tae might have snapped back, discomfort in her sickness making her temper short, but Darrow was upon her then and she lacked the heart to argue with the dragon anyhow.

"Tae?" The captain began softly, sitting down behind the young woman and wrapping his cloak around her shoulders. "You're burning up." He was quiet for a while as if searching for something more to say. The Rider refused to look back at him though, refused to give him or Ninaru that victory over her. Instead she simply remained slumped against the spike in front of her and tried very subtly to pull the cloak tighter around her shoulders. "How close are we to land?" His question was tentative as were his hands when they moved to help close the covering around her front. Strange that they should be so gentle when they seemed strong enough to crush a man's skull.

"We should hit the shore before too long. Erevu said the closest point is a few miles south of our meeting place with Master Rolendis, but any land trek seems easy compared to this." She was rambling, but her mind was muddled and too late she realized her blunder. For days the woman had been on that ship with him and his crew, but Tae was certain that was the longest sentence she had spoken at one time. It was certainly enough to leave him momentarily speechless, unfortunately Ninaru was less impressed, and though silent in the Rider's mind Tae could sense his displeasure at her stubbornness.

"When we arrive I'll send a few of my boys out to see if they might reach Treagan and tell him what's happened. At any rate, I don't think you should be making any trips once we land. At least not until you have your legs back." Darrow sounded worried, honestly so, and for the first time Ta wondered if too many judged him too soon as a vagrant and a pirate. He was much too thoughtful, much too caring, to be thought of as anything less than a gentleman.

"Don't be stupid, I'm a Rider and I can manage a few measly miles." Tae argued halfheartedly.

The truth was, she didn't want to do any more traveling; not by land, and certainly not by ocean. More than anything, she wanted to go home, back to her islands and her familiar places. Back to being shunned because of her blood, back to a family that hardly remembered her, back to her gods and goddesses. She wanted to return to the familiarity of a life spelled out for her, and the worst part of that burning need was the devastating truth that even if she were to go back she would never forget her time away. This was, and always would be, her biggest adventure, and even though she wanted so badly to throw it all away, there was a fire that smoldered deep within her gut and Tae knew to abandon this quest now would mean disappointing herself forever. She couldn't relent.

Not yet.


	8. Chapter 7: First Encounters

**AN: La Victime - I appreciate the kind sentiment! All prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated ^_^ **

**As always, don't forget to R&R everyone! I love feedback, and reading what you think about everything helps me add more of a direction to the early parts of the story!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven: First Encounters<strong>

_This is pointless; we don't even know what we're looking for. _Murtagh's complaints hadn't ebbed since the pair had left their little cottage in the forest almost a week before. Thorn was moving slowly, insisting that they pace themselves for what might be to come, but the Rider suspected the garnet creature was taking his sweet time simply out of spite.

_We know where we're going, everything else will fall into place in due time._ Came Thorn's drawling reply, the leviathan already bored with his bonded's little temper tantrum.

_Oh look who took cryptic lessons from Angela._ Murtagh snapped, severing their mental connection with a note of finality that would offer him some reprieve from the dragon's calm demeanor. He had tried everything to make his partner angry with him enough to turn around and abandon this entire quest, but every jibe just seemed to make Thorn more set on continuing their journey.

The man hated arguing with the dragon, hated the way it made him feel dirty and mean as if he had done something wrong by speaking his opinion. He hated this feeling of solitude when he had been meant to possess a bond stronger than any other known to man or elf or dwarf. But more than anything he hated the feeling of being wrong. It wasn't that he didn't know following Angela's request was the right thing to do, especially when there was a life hanging in the balance – after all, as a Rider it was somewhat his responsibility to protect those he could when he could – his loathing in the task lie in the directions it may take him. For now they headed west along the Edda's smooth banks, but he couldn't help but shake the tugging feeling that seemed to try and draw him ever closer to the east; to the high reaching walls of Urû'baen and the wrathful creature whom sat the throne there. '_Nasuada….'_ His heart still ached for her, though it had been his own word that broke their romance and her heart alike, and he wished he were good enough, strong enough, _whole_ enough, to deserve her.

At the presence of his sorrow there came a response of sympathy from the warm space in Murtagh's mind where Thorn resided, his dragon was oblivious to the source of the man's anguish, but sought to alleviate it all the same. That loyalty only hurt worse, that Thorn could still show such protection and caring after the utter imbecile the Rider had been the past few days, it all hurt now. All the love, all the friendship, even the memories hurt. Remembering when he had laughed and supped with people who trusted him and who he in turn could trust. Remembering his half brother and the wrongs done against him, and how Eragon had _still_ saved him in the end. Everything had turned raw, like a sore you've rubbed too much and fussed over too long, it had grown sensitive in its festering and now was left to ache and throb in the back of his heart like so many other things. But that's what life was, it was just a giant pain one was forced to either accept or fall against. You could put a bandage on it, wrap it tight in gauze and cloth, but all the aches and pains would still be there at the end of the day refusing to allow you to forget them completely.

Murtagh sighed, running a hand through his hair and wishing he could go one day without thinking such depressing things. He tried to focus on the river rushing by beneath them, or take note of where they were and try to gauge how many days or hours or minutes until they would pass Hedarth and their journey would take a riskier turn. For a brief moment, the Rider considered asking Thorn, but after their many arguments that day he questioned whether it would be appropriate to express such a normal query. So instead of troubling himself over his dragon's job of navigation, he decided to pass the time by counting the trees, a feat which lasted about as long as a heart beat when he realized how absolutely boring such an occupation was. He then looked back to the river's surface and settled on watching for fish, maybe he would have Thorn stop if he saw one and catch a small dinner. Still, boredom crept in like a thief and his attention ran away with it, making irritation blossom at the lack of entertainment on this trek.

Again, his mind flickered to a time years ago when he was still just the bud of a man, still fresh in his first escape from the mad king Galbatorix and reeling in the world of a fugitive from both sides of the law. It had been then that he had found Eragon, or maybe his sibling had found him, more than likely it had been the fates throwing them together for a good show. He remembered well every laugh line upon the younger man's face, and beneath each laugh a hollowness left over from the pain of losing his previous travel partner. Murtagh had been a poor replacement, but he had leaped at the chance of companionship and adventure. Silently he wondered if Eragon had ever regretted that arrangement; sure it had been nice in the beginning before true identities had been discovered, but betrayals had grown up between them and Murtagh had sown the seeds of destruction himself. Who wouldn't regret that?

Thorn rescued the self-deprecating man with a sharp drop, racing for the ground in a nose dive. Something was wrong.

_What is it?_ Murtagh abandoned his pride in a heartbeat, concern leaking across their connection; not all of it being his.

For a while Thorn remained silent, and the Rider wondered if maybe their normal quarrelling had gone a step too far until the leviathan replied, _I'd rather not be shot from the skies today._ A picture followed of a Dwarven sentry napping in the heavy shade of a tree a few miles ahead still. Had the guard been awake as he was supposed to be they would have been seen, and then would have had to explain what a dragon and Rider were doing so far away from any sort of academy. After all, everyone knew Riders were contained on the Forgotten Isles unless directly ordered otherwise, and under Nasuada's reign Alagaësa had been a peaceful land. It was rare for a Rider to be sent to the mainland, and when they were, they were heavily questioned before being accepted as a friend and everyone had to display proper documentation of their orders. All in all it was a very long, very troublesome process that the pair preferred to avoid if possible. _You'll have to go on foot to the other side of the dwarf-and-elf-town. I'll meet you down the river. _Thorn explained as he landed, his swift descent pulling up his massive weight in unbelievable time so that he landed softly and without much disturbance to the nature around him.

_How will you get by?_

The crimson drake hummed with delight at the question, obviously pleased with himself about something. _While you're stealing all the attention, I'll sneak by in the water. They'll never notice. _

Murtagh grunted as he slipped from his saddle, his legs unused to bearing weight after the hours he had spent sitting on Thorn's back. He wobbled for a moment then risked a small stretch that turned in a longer one. _And what are you going to do if someone _does_ happen to notice you?_ The man asked dryly as he shook out his saddle-sore limbs.

_Eat them of course._ Thorn gave his hissing chortle of a laugh at the joke, thinking it was the funniest thing anyone could have said. Murtagh, on the other hand wasn't so impressed. He knew his bonded was just reckless enough that he would think consumption to be a proper form of hiding.

_Thorn, you can't just _eat_ all your problems you know._ And there it was the easy banter they normally threw back and forth at each other. At long last it was returning. The Rider could feel something within him spring back into place as he removed his saddle and strapped it instead to his own back, some secret part of his deepest being that had been strained thin during the pair's disagreement. He was glad that they were able to reconcile before the risks of passing through Hedarth could separate them indefinitely. Murtagh had no doubt that there would still be tension between himself and the Dwarves, and there was always the possibility that he would run into that _one_ Dwarf or Elf hanging around still holding to some sort of grudge birthed in the dark days of Galbatorix's reign. Hopefully enough time had passed, and his appearance had changed enough due to his rugged lifestyle, that he would be able to travel through the small trading town without drawing too much attention to himself. _You'd better get going. I'll see you on the other side._ The man ignored the anxiety bubbling in the back of his mind, brewing within a well of insecurity and misgivings. He didn't like being apart from his dragon, but he knew there wasn't another way to get by quickly without drawing attention to themselves. However, that's the thing about being connected with someone at the soul; they have an uncanny knack for sensing your emotions.

_We'll be together again before you know it._ The ruby leviathan consoled his Rider, his voice a rumbling rockslide of consoling sensitivity.

Murtagh snapped back to himself, forcing his thoughts away from the all to terribly possible possibilities of what might happen in the moments to come, and lightly punched the dragon on the snout. _Oh come off it. Get out of here you overgrown lizard._ It wasn't what he wanted to say and certainly wasn't what he should have said, but the affection was there all the same – hidden in between the lines of his otherwise callous send off.

Thorn snorted and jutted his head against the man's hand, and with that final contact the dragon departed, slipping his immense frame into the yawning reaches of the river bottom with only the tiniest of ripples to mark that he had ever been there. Ripples and a few noticeable claw marks of course. The latter however, were easily displaced with a bit of scuffling about in the dirt, and before long Murtagh too was on his way into the village.

The walk was a short one, but every step alone was a soundless reminder of the company he had lost. He briefly considered calling Thorn back and suggesting that they simply risk flying around the town, but it was a foolish notion and quickly abandoned once created. The Dwarf that had been napping was still fast asleep when Murtagh passed him, and the man sighed at such indolent behavior. He wouldn't wake him though, oh no, that would bring unwanted attention to himself and it's not like there were very many raids these days anyhow. Besides, between Dwarves and Elves there were plenty of fighters to protect this small trading parish, and he doubted any remotely intelligent thief would approach by the open and revealing route of the river bank.

'_Pay attention. Get through and get out.'_ Murtagh chastised himself mentally, quickening his pace toward the village. He didn't have time for idle musings, he had a job to do and the sooner he got it done the sooner he could get back to his hovel in the clearing.

"Fresh fish! Get your fish here!" "Beads and pearls! Gems and rare metals! Jewelry for any pretty lady!"

"Are ye hungry dearie? I 'ave a fresh baked loaf o' bread 'ere for ye." An elderly Dwarf lady stepped onto his path, trying to corral him back toward her booth with a thick loaf of what appeared and smelled to be some sort of raisin-cinnamon concoction. He had to admit, it did smell amazing and he certainly could have stood a meal, but he had no money to pay her with and he was loath to waste her time – or his – with false business.

"Erg, ah… Sorry ma'am, but I uh, I don't have any coin." Murtagh gave an apologetic half-grin, shuffling as best he could to get around her. However, he needn't have worried himself with tact. The moment the Dwarf heard there was no profit to be had from him, she waddled off to advertise her wares elsewhere.

It was difficult not to be amused by such thick-skinned behavior, but the Rider did a good job of holding his sour disposition squarely in place. Not only had the woman wasted his time with her abrasive salesmanship, but she hadn't even offered a bit of some heel to fuel a poor wandering stranger. Well, he had never liked Dwarves that much anyway – the lot of moles, they were better with their heads stuck in the dirt.

Murtagh gritted his teeth together, his jaw clenched tight in irritation as he punched his fists forward and back with the rhythm of his stride. _'Get through, and get out.'_ The Rider reminded himself, making that short sentence his silent mantra to keep him from snapping at each vendor who shoved their merchandise under his nose. He almost broke when a weapons merchant drove a dagger through his display table as a demonstration of its fine quality or whatever rubbish he was trying to sell it on. It took everything in him not to draw his own dagger from the concealment of his traveling cloak, and even more to keep him from oh so kindly explaining to the poor sot deliberating on whether or not to buy the knife what a piece of trash he was looking at. To the untrained eye it was sturdy enough, and the jewels in its hilt of _course_ just _had_ to be valuable, but in the eyes of Murtagh – or any semi-knowledgeable soldier for that matter – one could plainly see its cheapness. The hilt was poorly connected to the actual blade, the two different metals coinciding in rough adjacency that would lead to a quick deterioration of one or the other. And the emeralds that decorated the weapon? Cut glass at the most, but certainly no truly valuable gem. At any rate, the entire item was a shameful thing priced far too highly for any sensible man to even ponder purchasing. The worthless heap of scrap metal would probably snap or disconnect with the first use. But it wasn't his business to interfere, and he had better things to do at any rate.

'_Get through, and get out.'_

Obscurity is a blessing often taken for granted living so far away from society. Murtagh had never thought to acknowledge the ease of erasing one's self from existence when one ceased to take part in the existence of others. Now, forced to lace in and out of the difference people packed like sausages in the streets, he missed more than ever the generously distanced confines of his small clearing. He wanted to return to the small shack he called a home and get back to his routine, but with each step forward that craving became more and more detached from his forethoughts. Slowly he was walking away from the life of Baerd the hermit and back into that of Murtagh the Dragon Rider. Or as close to a Rider as he could truly be when he had so disgraced himself in the past.

Again his mind flitted to Eragon and then briefly once more to Nasuada; faces dancing through his thoughts like a visual display of what might hurt him the most. He had ruined everything between those he had been closest to. He had taken every promise and every oath and shattered them with cruelty and selfishness. He had broken hearts and friendships, but in the end he was the one who had ended up alone. He was always the one who ended up alone…

'_No. Not anymore.'_ Now he had Thorn, and Thorn would never abandon him.

Murtagh clenched his jaw tighter and lengthened his stride. _'Get through, and get out.'_

On one hand there was the obvious advantage that Hedarth was a small community and not one that remembered faces that didn't take part in business. On the other hand, it was a small community and not one often visited by humans. The land this far west was mostly inhabited by Elves and Dwarves, especially with the forests reaching so close it was the perfect melting pot for the two races. His unusual presence attracted a small bit of awareness from those around him, and the Rider took special care not to seem to conspicuously anonymous. Always the need to hurry plagued the back of his mind, but Murtagh forced himself to take his time and stop every once in a while as if he were looking at something to purchase before moving on again. It was in this manner that he finally made his way to the western end of Hedarth and the outskirts of the small trading village without drawing too much notice to himself. Still, he walked about a mile further before contacting Thorn.

_I hate the feeling of being watched._ He stated grumpily, his mood worsening by the second after suffering through Hedarth.

_Is someone following you?_ Thorn seemed concerned, and beneath that was the bothered feeling that he wasn't closer to his bonded. Neither of them enjoyed this distance, particularly in such a touchy situation.

_Hard to say, but I feel…anxious._

There was a hesitation to Thorn's reply, and then his garnet skull darted from the water with a dexterity that didn't seem quite proportional to a creature of such size. The dragon moved quickly from the shore, his wings flared ever so slightly as water cascaded from his scales like a million diamonds, each catching the light with a rainbow of reflection. It might have been a stunning display of magnificent power and exquisite beauty had they not been trying for subtle and discreet. "Hey, hey, hey!" Murtagh cried in as hushed a tone he could manage while still sounding incredulous. "Did you forget you're not supposed to be here?!" The Rider shoved at the leviathan's side as if doing so would actually budge the mammoth creature; his head whipping from one direction to the other positive that the moment he looked away someone would happen upon them and their cover would be lost.

_You said someone was following you._ The dragon protested mildly, obliging the Rider by allowing himself to be herded toward a shady area beneath a dense copse of trees. _I was simply making sure they weren't going to follow you any further._

_Oh stop playing dumb._ Murtagh snapped while he went about pulling the saddle from beneath his cloak, letting it slip from his back onto the grass before replacing it on his bonded's scaly hide. _You know we're supposed to be laying low until we figure out what exactly Angela had in mind for us. Until we have more of a grip on things, we can't let anyone see you._ It was a tired conversation, exhausted from previous use and verbatim repetition.

Thorn sighed, a hissing, reptilian sound, but he gave no further protest and the pair were again on their way without any more of a hiccup in their travel plans.

* * *

><p>It was well past nightfall by the time the pair reached the coast line, and both dragon and Rider were fairly weary when Murtagh gave the say to land. Thorn immediately slid onto his belly in the warm sand, his long neck weaving left and right in a crooked line of relaxation while his wings splayed luxuriously to the sides of him. He gave a great sigh of contentment at finally being able to relax, twin lines of smoke twirling up from each nostril with the exhale.<p>

_I will sleep for a year._ The leviathan announced, his eyelids closing with a soft _**shhp**_ as his scales scraped across one another. However, the resolution was short lived and immediately his ruby skull was lifting again, cocked ever so slightly as a dog might when listening to something far away and very faint.

_What is it?_ Murtagh questioned, pausing in taking off his saddle. He jumped down from Thorn's wing, the large bone of which he had been standing on to reach the buckles, and looked in the direction his dragon had so abruptly become absorbed with.

Thorn took his time in replying, and the Rider could sense his bonded's perplexity as he tried to puzzle something out. _I smell… Something familiar. _

_Well what is it?_

Again there was a lengthy pause before the dragon answered; _It smells like the blue-she-dragon…_ He turned his head to regard the man through one blazing eye. _But I thought I was the only one except for the green._

Thorn was troubled, and for good reason. It wasn't often that there were other dragons present, and it was even more rare that he would associate their scent with Saphira's. Could it be that his long lost sibling had at last returned to Alagaësa? Murtagh couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect; this could be his chance to _finally_ repair the damage he had done to their relationship when Galbatorix had still held dominion over him. All the apologies he had molded and perfect in his mind, all the stories he had to tell and no doubt hear, they all welled up in a fountain of rejoicing. Thorn fell to this emotion, his Rider's jubilance highly contagious, and the two were off again in a racing scramble to meet the dragon and Rider they had parted with so many years before. Forgotten was the need for secrecy and concealment, forgotten was the fatigue that had afflicted them just moments ago. In their minds there was only room enough for the hope that at any moment they would fly over the next sand dune and there would be Eragon and Saphira waiting for them as if this had planned all along.

But it wasn't an exhilaration meant to last.

It was Thorn who first realized something was amiss. Some aspect of that scent was simply too foreign, too unfamiliar, for him to confidently place as the she-dragon that had hamstringed him once in battle. Beneath that, there was an unmistakable masculine musk that had him quickly rethinking this mindless charge. He beat his wings once with a slight back curl to slow himself a bit. _Murta-_

The dragon's warning was cut short by a heavy collision from above. Murtagh barely had time to clamber from the saddle and farther back on his dragon's back so as to avoid the massive jaws that came closing around the base of Thorn's neck where it connected at his shoulders. The garnet creature let out a bugling roar, a sound that mixed both pain and surprise, and barrel rolled in the air as he tried to dislodge his attacker. Thankfully, the other leviathan's bite had found poor purchase in the reinforced leather of Thorn's saddle and his jaws came loose easily. However, without the straps of his saddle to hold him in place, Murtagh couldn't keep his own grip and gravity claimed him quickly.

"Thorn!" This was it, he was going to die. He was going to shatter against the sand and his greatest regret was that his beloved bonded wouldn't survive his demise. _'Damn…'_ Thorn gave a wail of despair, kicking the pale dragon off of him long enough to start a dive for his Rider, barely catching Murtagh's leg in a single crimson claw before the other drake was upon him again. _"Land!"_ The Rider yelled with both his mind and his mouth, vertigo attacking with a viciousness to rival their current airborne opponent.

Wasting no time in following his bonded's command, Thorn again jostled free of the dragon's attack and plunged in a nose-dive for the ground. Faster and faster they plummeted, each beat of his wings carrying them closer and closer to a collision that would kill them both. At the last second he pulled up, barely missing a sand dune with Murtagh's head before dropping the man completely. Thorn didn't make it far before the white drake was on him again and the two massive beasts landed in a tangled spray of sand and sea.

Perfectly fine – aside for a mouthful of sand – Murtagh stood, reeling about as he desperately tried to find his legs. He needed someone to fight, anyone, but he couldn't just let Thorn take this battle alone. He stumbled, fell to one knee in the sand, righted himself and spun about just in time to find a sword pointed at his throat by a man that was most definitely not his half brother. Not a second later came a stab of pain in a limb he didn't even possess as the leathery membrane of one of Thorn's wings was raked through by the pearly leviathan's claws, the fiery creature taking the lower hand and quickly finding a tedious submission when razor fangs found an unrelenting hold at the base of his skull. It was a grip that meant one thing between dragons, be still or you're dead.

"What the hell is going on?!" Murtagh screamed, shoving the sword from his face, cutting the back of his hand in the process.

_Who are these people?! What do they want?! _Thorn was a constant buzz of pain and questions, and the man's mind was whirling from one topic to another without hope of keeping up. Finally, he had to semi shut his dragon out just to comprehend what pains in his body were his and which were Thorn's.

"I could ask you the same question, mate. Exactly who are you and what are you doing here?" The man with the sword asked, or more commanded as there was little room for argument in the way he voiced his interest.

Murtagh scanned the stranger quickly as well as those gathering behind him. They all looked a little rough for wear, and they certainly didn't seem too pleased about the current proceedings. Well, at least they could all have something in common. Focusing on the man before him, the Rider took in everything that caught his eye as a defining trait as quickly as he could. The eyes were simply dark shadows in a skull that seemed to hide from the moonlight, probably due to a tan. His hair was about shoulder length and a lighter color based on the way it reflected the lunar rays and created a sort of halo effect. There was a distinct hook to his nose as if it had been left unset after being broken one too many times, and there was a definite layer of scruffle adding texture to a squared jaw line. He had wide shoulders and a torso that narrowed down near the waist, long legs that gave him most of his height, and probably a total of five percent of him was body fat as the rest looked at a glance to be completely comprised of hard muscle. Definitely not someone Murtagh wanted to tangle with, chiefly due to the fact that he had just realized the absence of his sword; a sword which he had left wrapped in his sleeping blankets on the back of Thorn's saddle. _'Damn…'_

"I'm Baerd," Murtagh replied, his tone sharp and belying none of the unease he felt at being so outnumbered as he fell into well practiced lies. He jerked his head in Thorn's direction as he continued, always keeping a close watch on that damned sword. "That's Thane. We were just flying by when your watch dog here dropped us out of the sky." Snarky? Yes. Smart? Definitely not.

Immediately the sword – Murtagh could see now it was a rapier – was back at his throat, irritation on the man's face at being spoken to in such a way; like a bully being stood up to in front of his gang on the school yard. "A bit foolish to insult those holding your life in their hands isn't it?" The man countered; a chill running down the Rider's spine as the blade's edge pressed against the soft flesh of his neck. Directly beneath an artery pumped with adrenaline fueled franticness and Murtagh vaguely wondered if this were the type of man to see how hard he would have to push to pierce that precious life vein.

_Stop acting like an idiot and give them what they want!_ Thorn shoved his way into his bonded's mind, the dragon's own thoughts spinning with pain and anger and fear as he battled internally against the urge to fight and the need to be still and protect his bonded.

Murtagh suppressed a sigh. His dragon was right, being an ass wasn't going to get them out of this mess. Maybe he could appeal to this man's better nature – Rider to Rider – and they would be able to escape from here without anyone dying or getting severely maimed. Obviously fighting wasn't an option as he was out of a weapon at the moment, and a battle of magic would be risky. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had last cast a spell, and this man was no doubt well versed in the ancient language if he was allowed in Alagaësa. Diplomacy was the only option Murtagh had. "Listen, could you just call your dragon off of Thane? Please, he's in pain." Thorn gave a low groan to support his bonded's claim, shifting beneath the pale drake's hold until a warning growl could freeze him again.

Here the man shrugged, and looked sarcastically dismayed. "I would love to help mate, but unfortunately for you, he's not mine to boss around." The stranger said carelessly, but at least he removed the weapon as he did so, resting the point of the blade in the sand and leaning on it slightly.

The Rider was confused now. Did the dragon then belong to one of the other men? Was it a wild dragon that was simply indebted somehow to these men? "Then… Who..?" There was no point in trying to hide the confusion; he would only have looked like more of an idiot than he already must have to them.

Murtagh was prepared to see one of the other men's hands raise. He was prepared for the man who had spoke with him to laugh and say "just kidding, he's mine". What he hadn't been prepared for was the young woman who approached from the back of the group, her eyes flashing like quicksilver from behind the shadows cast in the moonlight. She walked without fear or hesitation, but he could sense something beneath that strength, a sickness perhaps? Was she unwell?

His eyes became glued to her in something akin to fascination, mesmerized by the silver orbs staring back at him in such guarded reservation. She looked at him as if he were nothing more than a grain of sand, or a beggar she couldn't be bothered with – something she had no problem in ignoring. It was so strange. Murtagh looked at her and saw something beautifully unique, only once had he seen eyes that burned so brightly, and he could only compare her to the love that he had lost. Where Nasuada had been a blazing fire, full of vibrant life and heat, this woman was an Arctic chill, full of frigid neutrality and icy indifference. Still, when her mouth opened, the Rider felt himself hanging onto that breath as she began to speak the words that would shake him with its obviousness.

"He's mine."


	9. Chapter 8: Stranger

**Chapter Eight: Stranger**

Sickness doesn't creep in like a thief, moving slowly and taking its precious time to ensure it doesn't get caught. It doesn't move silently across dark paths, methodically infecting each cell and organ before launching some final assault to bring your body down. Sickness attacks abruptly and without warning, throwing barbed disease everywhere and laughing all the while, and it came down hard on Tae's head. She lay next to the fire they had built shortly after landing, bundled in the small number of coats they had managed to dry, still shivering and unable to even sit up without falling over. Not even Ninaru's warmth had been enough to keep her warm, and the sturdy support of his side had been unable to stable her for long.

It was like watching a storm rolling in. All you could do was strap yourself in, and pray to the gods that they let you make it through; knowing the entire time there was nothing you could do to stop it. He wanted to help, he wished he had the ability to ease her suffering or at least make her warm, but they had no food and no shelter and they certainly didn't have any medicine. There was nothing he could do besides wait and let the storm roll through, carrying all its sickness and fever along with it.

"How are you feeling?" Darrow asked softly, sliding into a sitting position beside the Rider, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Tae looked like hell, her face was pale and her hair clung to her cheeks and neck in the sticky net of her sweat. A tremble ran down her frame making her seem smaller and more fragile than she was. Small and fragile, like a child. Like something that needed his protection.

"I'm fine." The young woman replied, pushing herself up to slump over her lap, her legs bent against her chest and her arms wrapped tight around her shins. "Has anyone heard anything from my Ebrithil yet?" It was impossible to miss the concern in her voice, and he was reminded that no one had seen or heard from the other Rider since they had left the Forgotten Isles days before.

The truth must have shown on his face – the guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders that so much had managed to go wrong while she had been entrusted to his care – because she didn't wait for his answer before turning her face away. "I'm sure he'll find us soon." The once great pirate tried at encouraging her, but there was a dullness to her eyes and he knew the words hadn't reached her. For a while longer the man sat with her, every so often his shoulder brushing against her much thinner one when they breathed in unison, but the silence was overwhelming and there came a time he simply couldn't take the nothingness that hung heavy around them. "I'm just...gonna go check on the boys." He announced, his voice sounding forced and awkward as it broke the silence. His body felt gangly and foreign when he stood as if he were trying to walk with someone else's legs; Tae's eyes were flames between his shoulders as she watched him leave, and the man was positive he had never felt more self-conscious in his life.

Jameson came to his rescue, though one glance at the first mate's face had Darrow questioning whether this was a rescue, or just a shovel to dig his hole deeper. "I have good news and bad news." The seaman began, immediately causing the captain's heart to plummet deeper into his stomach if such a depth were possible.

The smuggler sighed, running a hand though unkempt hair that never did quite do what he wanted. "Well, there's no reason beating around the bush, just tell me." His voice lacked its usual jovial tone, weighed down by his guilt and the voice in the back of his head that whispered: _'You should have known better…'_

The first mate shrugged, taking a deep breath before explaining, "Well, the good news is all of the scouting parties have returned safely and without injury."

Darrow raised a brow. "And the bad news..?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

It took Jameson a moment to work up the courage to reply, the younger man chewing on the inside of his cheek as he had done when they were boys first getting their taste of manhood. He was unsure, insecure, troubled, and none of those made the pirate any more excited to hear what the runaway had to say. "I'm sorry, Sir... There was no sign of Treagan." The young man looked down as he spoke, unwilling to meet his captain's gaze.

Of course Darrow felt responsible for finding the Rider – for reuniting pupil with mentor – but he couldn't fairly blame his crew for not being able to track him down. It wasn't their fault. _'It's not their fault…'_ He wanted to be angry, to kick and yell and hit…something! But all he could do was smile, a cocky smirk that came all too naturally, and punch his mate lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, it's not your fault okay? It's no one's fault. We'll keep looking in the morning, but for right now we need to get our bearings." And just like that, he had changed the subject to something easier; something they could talk about without wanting to pull out their hair and scream obscenities at the gods. "We still have no idea how far away we landed from the meeting point. Hell, we could be halfway down the coast and not even know it."

Jameson nodded curtly, all business now. "I'll ask around and see if anyone knows where we are, if nothing else we can search for the closest town in the morning after everyone's slept off this whole ordeal." He spoke the word like a curse, and maybe it was. Maybe the crew of the fair _Red Lady_ had finally reaped the profit of their past questionable deeds.

Darrow didn't reply to the younger man, simply nodded his consent before turning and slowly walking back to the fire. Tae was as he had left him, still holding herself tight against the encroaching chill. Again the guilt struck – _'It's not _their _fault…'_ He pushed aside the wicked voice in his head, checking the falter of his step at the intrusion. The Rider's eyes flickered up to him with questioning glowing behind the quick silver orbs. He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but the expression on his face felt more like a grimace so he let it fall again. Giving a soft breath, the young woman looked aside, resting her chin on her knees and staring into the fire. The captain couldn't help but relate to such resignation, he had felt it before many years past. A sinking feeling in his chest when he knew no ship or riches or glory would bring back the thing he wanted most. Oh yes, he knew this helplessness well. "You know I heard somewhere staring at fires would make you go blind." Darrow teased, his voice low as he once more eased himself down to sit beside her, his legs pulled up slightly so that his knees fell out to either side. His comment won her attention, and the girl looked sidelong at him with furrowed brows, her nose wrinkled in the cutest sort of way. That thought made him stop. Cute? When had he started thinking of her as 'cute'? The man watched her patiently as she formulated a reply, turning each word over in her head – no doubt a habit forged through the teachings of old Treagan – before she would gift him with a reply. It was the first time since he had seen her on the docks back on the islands that he had truly _looked_ at her. Each strand of hair that spun in lazy waves caught the fire and cradled it, turning to a burning hue of copper right before his eyes. And her face, while sharp and angled like a cat's, was softened by her feminity and the plush cushion of youth. The fire touched here as well, making her skin glow like porcelain and smoothing the angles of her cheeks and jaw. Innocence hid behind the analytical reserve that masked the emotion never shown in the outward appearance, belying the girl that twisted and crawled just beneath the surface of this woman. She was…nice. Nice to look at, nice to think of, and his hands itched to reach out and discover whether she would be nice to touch as well.

"That's dumb."

Down again plummeted his heart, deep into his gut where it splattered most certainly nevermore to rise at this comment. Had she read his thoughts? Had she known what he was thinking? He shouldn't have let his imagination run away like that! _'Dammit…'_ The seadog opened his mouth to apologize, to explain himself, anything to win back her approval or at least the comforting stillness of her distant company.

"You won't go blind from looking at a little cook fire." Her voice was stern and matter-of-fact, her face fully turned toward him now with an expression of blunt disbelief. So much like a child lecturing another.

Relief was the first thing he felt, flooding through him like a tidal wave, cooling the wild fire of embarrassment that had quickly been heading for his cheeks. She hadn't been listening in on his thoughts; she had simply missed the joke. The captain laughed, softly at first trying to conceal it as a cough which then turned into a chortle and then into a full on laugh that brewed and stirred in his stomach before being released as loud, booming mirth. Tae looked on in wary curiosity as if she were watching someone go mad, obviously unaccustomed to such behavior – or maybe it was simply the straight display of emotion. "Tae," Darrow began, slowly choking down his laughter. "It was a joke."

Something seemed to click behind her gaze, a registration of something new, and the Rider stared at him blankly for a moment. The amusement quickly faded at this new expression, awkwardness rising between them like an unwelcome dinner guest. He couldn't shake the feeling that somehow he had offended her by laughing, an uneasy lightness fluttering about his diaphragm and chest making him uncomfortable and self-conscious. Darrow had wooed many women simply by giving them his trademark grin, and usually voicing his delight at their company or something they had said or done – such as a laugh – was enough to seal the deal and win him at least one night in a warm bed. However, he had never run against so many walls as he had with Tae. A laugh seemed to offend her; a smile made her anxious, simple conversation seemed to make her restless as if he were wasting her time. The once notorious pirate was at a loss for what he was doing wrong. His brow furrowed and he glared into the fire, his away hand digging into the sand with his frustration. "I'm sorry if I've offended you." Darrow toned after what seemed like ages of silence, only to wait ages still for her reply. Knowing full well that at any second she would light into him with every manner and assortment of chastisements and reprimands, reminding him that this was no time to joke around, not when their boat had just been shattered against a sea monster and especially not when her teacher was missing somewhere on land or sea.

"No one's laughed at me before…" The sound of her voice, so soft and strangely open as if a part of her had just been revealed with that statement, caught his attention as if someone had lifted a sword to his throat. Intrigue spread through him along with a fair amount of relief, and he felt a need to hear more of this brief repose to her stoic indifference; his head jerking to the side so that his focus rested solely on her. "Not like that anyway." Something about her voice sounded so sad, so apologetic, and it struck him that maybe not all Riders were as buddy-buddy as he thought.

"Tae-"

She wasn't listening to him though, her attention abruptly stolen away as something in the distance made itself known. "Captain!" The urgency in Jameson's voice cut him off before he could reply to the Rider, and Darrow shoved away from the sand running before he had found his legs. A bellowing roar ripped through the sky and all at once it was like he was back on the _Argetbrun_, the ship tossing and crunching beneath his feet as Ninaru tore apart the peace they had fallen under.

The ruby creature was massive in the sky, so large that the seaman was amazed it even possessed the capability to stay aloft at all let alone dip and dive and spin as it did to try and avoid the pesky wasp that bit and stung and clawed from every side. Ninaru was a diamond clad dagger, swift and deadly in his aerial assault. Beginning with a sucker-punch from above, the leviathan had his jaws around the other's neck and was giving it his best go at snapping the precious vertebrae housed within. A barrel roll knocked him free, though, and something seemed to plummet through the air. _'No, not something, some_one_!'_ Darrow realized with a small bit of dread. Luckily for the second Rider, the garnet dragon was able to catch them by the leg and landed quickly – if not messily – with a spray of ocean wetted sand. They had no sooner touched down than Ninaru was upon them again, an unrelenting mass of aggression and feral viciousness. This was a side the ex-pirate had never seen of the pearly dragon, having assumed his nature to be as pure as the snowy scales that hued his sides that now rose and fell with rapid bursts of his breath. This was a side that would not hesitate to kill, that was prepared to kill in that moment. This was a side that inspired a strange mixture of awe and fear of the powerful beast, such ferocity not displayed even during the sinking of the _Argetbrun_ when the dragon had protected them all against his watery cousin.

A sort of question lingered in those crystalline orbs though, his gaze belying the half-hearted focus of his attack against the other dragon. Passing through the captain, Ninaru patiently watched his bonded for a command. Yea or nay, the verdict would pass from Tae and Tae alone. Darrow's word held no true authority in this matter, but the spit-fire man – as the captain could now see the second Rider was indeed a man – made accepting that fact very difficult. He drew his sword in warning, holding it toward the other's face with deadly promise. Such communication only seemed to spark further rebellion and the weapon was quickly shoved away though not without tasting the sweet life blood that drizzled from a newly made cut on the back of the stranger's hand.

His first words were a demand for an explanation as the dark headed male stumbled first one way and then the other, twisting about in the sand like a deckhand on his first voyage. Pricks of annoyance spread down the back of Darrow's neck at being addressed in such a manner. He might not have been any sort of lord by society's standards, but among these men and upon the seas that served as his playground he was a god and had become accustomed to being addressed as such. There were shocked expressions spreading from face to face within his crew, and the stormy eyed man saw fit to reassert his dominance. "I could ask you the same question, mate." He spoke the word like an insult, no loss of mockery to his hard voice. "Exactly who are you and what are you doing here?" Vaguely, the captain was aware of Jameson's presence looming behind his right shoulder; the younger more refined man no doubt cringing at such a display of mindless brutality. The first mate had never really been one to entertain needless fighting.

For a moment they fell into a stalemate, each one sizing up the other and debating whether it was truly a good idea to go head-to-head. This 'Baerd", as the man had stated his name to be, seemed a sizeable fellow. Once righted and oriented to the stability of the earth coupled strangely with the shifting nature of the sand he seemed to hold himself with dignity chiseled into a squared posture that spoke defiance as clearly as any spoken language. It was obvious he wasn't prepared to make this easy. This close he was taller than he had seemed before, easily six foot and over as the crown of his head ended a few inches above Darrow's own. Baerd possessed a stocky build, one of the sort that is formed over time through hard labor and toil though the seadog accompanied most of that to the rigorous training of a Rider, and ever present was a markedly irritated scowl that wrinkled what might have been good features had they been in a more amiable expression.

"We were just flying by when your watch dog here dropped us out of the sky." Again, the lethal point of Darrow's rapier was placed toward the Rider's throat, silently warding away such an annoyingly insubordinate air. The damn fool was trying his patience with the petty sarcasm; perhaps the only thing staying the blade from dipping a bit further to penetrate the soft flesh of the other's neck being the looming judgment of Jameson's opinion. While the other men would have applauded a kill, simply chalking it up to another triumph for their fearless captain, the first mate would have seen it as little more than a murder and he was right to do so. It was that resolve and level headedness that had earned him his position on _The Red Lady_ years past. Still, Darrow wasn't going to just let this dog get away with snapping at an alpha without punishment. Humiliation seemed within bounds and he did possess quite the sharp little tongue when he felt like wielding it. "A bit foolish to insult those holding your life in their hands isn't it?" There was a muffled laugh from a few of the crewmen, and the seaman was positive that had he merely glanced to the right he would see the reflective glint as Jameson rolled his eyes at such a display. However, it seemed the retort had been enough of a peace treaty. Baerd seemed ready to cooperate. Asking for the release of his dragon first, the stranger scanned the faces of Darrow's crew restlessly searching for the leviathan's Rider once he learned it wasn't the captain himself. From face to face his dark eyes scanned, black shadows drifting with meaningless direction, until an all too familiar voice could command their attention.

Tae's approach had been silent, Darrow having assumed she would remain near the fire. A foolish notion, he realized, of course she would want to be near her dragon while he fought for all of their protection against this possible threat. "He's mine." Such a simple statement, yet none of them had been ready for it and more than that none of them had been ready for the steady strength that resounded within the clear tones of her voice. Everyone turned to the young woman, watching and waiting as if expecting some long speech to go along with this revelation. While their attention was otherwise occupied, Darrow spared a glance back to his captive and immediately wished he hadn't. The obvious gleam in the intruder's eyes sent a spark of something like jealousy through the man's blood; a sort of territorial need to usher the feminine creature away and out of his view where those reaching eyes wouldn't be able to land upon her slender frame again. And her dressed so lightly in her bed clothes, too!

"The Lady Tae, our resident Dragon Rider." The captain agreed, at once regretting having given away her name though the owner of it seemed incapable of caring less about the act. His intent had been successful, though, and Tae's displeasure or carelessness of his giving out her name without permission was only a background concern in the face of his true exploits. He didn't like the way this man was looking at her; didn't like the way Tae was looking back. Of course the woman looked at everyone the same with that deadened stare as if one were merely looking at the husk of what once had held humanity, but she wasn't looking away either and in a strange way that bothered the seadog in a way it normally wouldn't have. This annoyed him further and his patience waned as unwanted emotions thickened in his chest like a disease that bubbled and spread through his veins trying to consume him. "You know it's rude to stare…" He growled lowly, light brows pulling together in a scowl. Inside his head a single word echoed over and over again, crashing against his skull and shattering into a thousand more: _'mine.'_

Tae's shoulder brushed against his as she came to stand at his side, and had it been any other woman he might have put a protective arm around her waist further staking his claim on this creature. But this was Tae, this was a Rider, and the thoughtful consideration with which she regarded this other man was enough to ward off any concerns he might have had that she would be interested in him romantically. _'Not because I'm interested romantically, though._' Darrow reminded himself, trying to wrestle his heartbeat into submission.

The young woman studied the man, this _Baerd_, in silence for a moment before her silvery orbs could glance off of the blade at his throat, surprise registering on her face as if she were just realizing its presence. Her face turned toward him, a crease forming between her brows in what could have been anything from frustration to mild interest. "Is that necessary..?" She asked softly, and at first Darrow took the question for chastisement before he realized the expression on her face was indeed aggravation though not in the way he would have assumed. He was forced to realize then, that this was the first time she had ever stepped foot from the shelter of her islands, and quite possibly that she had ever been placed in such a situation. She wasn't asking him to put the sword away, while it was plain she would rather avoid violence if possible, she was honestly asking if such a show of force was necessary. Her dragon too had turned his gaze to the captain, silently questioning what course he should take next.

Authority strengthened the man's resolve, granting him a clear head in the situation. Tae still kept herself under his protection, whether she knew it or not, and that subtle loyalty heartened him and persuaded his better judgment into making an appearance. "I can't say," The man began, letting the sword rest easily in his hand as his shoulders relaxed. He wanted to humiliate this stranger further; to put him in his place in front of his crew and of course the exotic creature that stood beside him. "Is it necessary?" The captain asked as if addressing a mischievous child who had been threatened with something as going to bed early. With a quirked brow the captain nudged his sword forward just a tiny bit to allow the deadly angle to graze across Baerd's throat.

Petulance smoldered in the dark shadows of the other's face, hard lines made harder, sharper, by the anger revealed in his expression. For a moment he seemed to contemplate a fight, as if he stood a chance against an entire crew with his dragon pinned into submission by another leviathan; however that revolutionary glint quickly dimmed from his eyes which glanced back to his bonded. Darrow knew the behavior well from his conversations with Tae – or at least what short conversations they had, had before being shipwrecked – and he recognized the brief lack of focus to the night darkened orbs that revealed his concentration had fallen elsewhere. "No." He spat seconds later, presumably after whatever communication between he and his dragon had subsided. "I'd rather not kill myself by trying to fight off an entire band of…whatever it is you people are. Even though I've done nothing to deserve such poor treatment…" Baerd added the final bit as a grumble, his gaze flickering between the captain and his charge.

"I'm going to ignore the implications of your words, and allow us to start over as friendly strangers in understanding that such insults won't be muttered again." He had the strange urge to snap his teeth together as a shark closing over its victim as he felt the familiar curl of his lips as the smirk reappeared on his face. "Savvy?" Darrow removed his weapon only after receiving a curt nod of grudging assent. "Very well then." The captain leaned a bit closer so that only the Rider would hear his words, the curls of her hair made rough and matted with sea water and the lack of a brush tickling his lips as he spoke lowly. "Lady, I would suggest not trusting this one until we've gotten a chance to test his character further. He has a grin like a barracuda, and seems twice as unpredictable." She was looking at him with confused wonderment when he pulled back to see her expression, unable to understand how he could be so mistrusting of another Rider. He gazed at her in earnest, hoping she would understand and follow his wishes, but she returned his council with a slight lilt of her head before deeming him no longer worth worrying about and continuing on to the dark headed man.

Deep down in his gut, that odd sensation razed his insides, and he turned away from the two almost running into his first mate in the process of escaping their presence. "Erg, Captain..?" Jameson tripped over his own words as he stumbled out of the way, unprepared for the older man's abrupt retreat.

"Keep an eye on them." Darrow ordered over his shoulder, long strides carrying him swiftly back to the fire where he proceeded to plop down in the sand, staring at the blaze and wishing it wasn't working its way through his core those very seconds. He felt like a child; like a schoolboy with little more than a schoolyard crush, but it all seemed to matter so much. Tae was _his_ responsibility; he had seen her first…

"Captain?" Jameson's voice was soft and cautious as he approached from the other side of the fire, his face painted orange in a cheery glow though his expression was one far more sober than the flame's cheery atmosphere could provide. "Do you want to talk about it?" The first mate offered, standing just out of arm's reach looking as if he would rather be doing anything other than this. The runaway was a loyal and first class friend, but when it came to feelings he was more than lacking. He didn't know how to comfort or even address something like heartache. Hell, Darrow doubted whether he would ever have the misfortune of experiencing it.

"Talk about what?" The captain asked, forcing cheer into his voice that he couldn't manage to portray quite right on his face. He could feel the balance off just a bit in his grin as he tried to assuage his mate's concerns. "Gods man, you look as if you've seen a ghost." Darrow laughed at his own joke, knowing Jameson wasn't good for it, and continued to hold his stupid grin as the other man sat down heavily beside him.

"I know it's hard on you… It's a hard loss." Jameson sighed; a faraway look to his eye as if he were watching a memory rather than what was in front of him. The young man reached under his shirt and into the waist of his pants pulling out a small flask of what could only be some sort of whiskey or rum. He took a short nip then handed it off to his companion, silently consoling the older man in the only way he knew how.

Darrow reached out slowly, not entirely sure he wanted to drink but ultimately throwing caution to the wind as he was oft to do when it involved any sort of alcoholic beverage. "Yes." He mumbled his agreement before throwing his head back and feeling the warm burn of drink slip down his throat. It was rum – of course it was rum the boy hardly drank anything else – and the sweet spice of it was soothing as it warmed his belly and chased away the chill in his toes. He knocked back another swig before handing it back, the container noticeably lighter, and leaned back on one arm.

"Just remember, soon we'll find Treagan and we'll be able to charter another ship back to the islands and you'll see _Lady_ again, and it will be like none of this ever happened." Jameson said positively, taking another small sip before raising the flask to his ear and sloshing what was left about to hear the emptiness inside. He lowered it again and looked at it wistfully for a moment, no doubt missing the barrels that went down with the _Argetbrun_, before handing it over again. "Here, you finish it off. You need it more than I."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The captain snatched the drink away before the younger man could change his mind, but he watched Jameson with wry suspicion. "You saying I can't handle my own losses?" For a moment they stared each other down, neither one willing to bend on what they thought of each other. It was Darrow who broke first, chuckling lowly until Jameson was willing to crack a smile and even let loose a brief chuckle of his own. "Eh you're prob'ly right." The captain swallowed down what was left of the rum before handing the empty flask back to its owner. "But she sure is a beauty."

Jameson nodded along with the statement, setting the flask in the sand beside him before lifting a knee to wrap both arms around the shin and balance on his rear. "Yea… At least she was before Ninaru sunk her." He chuckled again, thinking himself clever, but this time it was Darrow's turn to hesitate.

"Sunk her? James what are you talking about? She-" His words cut off mid-sentence, the first mate looking at him in anxious confusion.

"Well… I was talking about the ship." He peered at his captain through narrowed eyes. "What were _you_ talking about?"

Darrow stared for a moment longer, his brain churning faster than oars through white water for some sort of excuse that the man would accept without questioning too far. "Um- I was- you see…" He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, stammering and tripping over his own words before quickly shaking his head and waving a hand like he could just shoe the conversation away.

"The ship of course, I just," He grasped for an excuse, clinging to the first one that popped into the forefront of his mind. "I just didn't think it was Ninaru wrecking the ship so much as that thing that was in the water is all." The man quickly looked away; staring hard into the fire and giving it his best go not to meet the first mate's gaze.

"Right…" Jameson replied, drawing out the vowel to demonstrate his disbelief. "Well, whatever it was, I guess it's in the past now, right?" He stood when Darrow answered with a curt nod of his head, a friendly pat on his shoulder jerking him to the side a bit and taking him by surprise. The light headed man looked up to see the runaway walking over to where the men were now searching the shoreline for any sign of wreckage from the _Argetbrun_ or scanning the skies for Treagan. In the sand where he had been sitting was little more than the imprint of his weight to mark that the space had ever been occupied. The captain was positive that he had never felt quite so alone as he did just then.


	10. Chapter 9: Responsibilities

**AN: Hey there everyone! I wanted to thank you all for reading this, it means a lot that someone is looking at my mindless prattles x) But I also wanted to touch on a few other topics and well, and maybe answer some questions I saw in the reviews. So! Here we go - First off, R.F (I love your comments, never stop 8D) the typo you saw wasn't a typo at all, it was just awful wording on my part. Murtagh was indeed heading West to unknowingly meet up with Tae and the _Red _crew, but there was an allure from the east that made him want to turn back and head to the capital; namely, Nasuada of course. And they have _somewhat_ lost their edge, this will be expanded upon on one of the following chapters, but you have to keep in mind that Murtagh and Thorn have spent the past 20+ years in self-induced exile, with no magic, and no contact to the world outside their small meadow. While they do have size and age on their side, they're not in peak form or condition as they had been directly after Galbatorix's fall. Nextly! On to peachy who's icon made me want to go eat cupcakes xD Ninaru isn't as small as his age might insinuate, and the reasons behind this will be explained in either the next chapter or the following one after that so just hang in there! ****I promise this will all come together guys! **

**Just for fun now, I think I might do a Q&A along with the next chapter. Yanno, just to make myself fell important teehee, and also give all my lovely reviewers the chance to dive into my brain and see what's going on. So ask a question! Any question! And keep R&R! **

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Responsibilities<strong>

Ninaru had slowly been growing more and more anxious as his bonded's condition worsened; fidgeting beneath her weight, and plowing puffs of smoke into the air until the camp was foggy with foul smelling clouds. Finally Tae had been forced to send him away, she wasn't getting any better by him sitting around worrying over her state and to be honest, his bad mood was only proving to impair her own. They would be better off with a little space between them. Choosing to completely sever their mental connection in order to keep her dragon from feeling too much of her sickness, Tae was virtually alone as she shivered next to the small cook fire the crewman had managed to build with the scarce driftwood along the shore and few broken limbs from the nearby tree line gathered after the threat of Ninaru's testily sweeping tail had gone. She was grateful for the company when Darrow came and sat next to her, but the lack of information he bore on her beloved Ebrithil only disheartened her further.

The young woman was desperate to find her teacher. Master Rolendis had been like a second father to her ever since he had come to fetch her from her small childhood village. He had taught her to shoot a bow, how to wield a sword, how to become one with her dragon in flight. At every step of the way, Treagan had been there to help her along; she knew him better than her own parents after the many years she had spent in such close communication with him. Now, losing him on this journey to a fate that remained obscured in the dark corners of the world's vast knowledge, hiding from her view like prey from a predator, she was sure all would be lost without his steadfast presence at her side. For how could she continue on to the capital without Treagan at her side? How could she explain to the queen and the princess that her competent master had fallen into some unknown calamity, and that they had, had no means by which to save or even find him? And how could she ever return to the islands to continue her training without her master in tow? How would she account for not completing her mission and on top of that losing her Ebrithil in the process? Even if they did allow her to continue her education to protect Alagaësa, without her teacher, all of it seemed meaningless. When Darrow left her, she hardly took any notice, too consumed in her own misfortunes to pay attention to those of anyone else.

_**You're acting like a child, you know. **_Erevu's voice burrowed into the woman's mind, making her shiver with its icy edge.

_And you're acting insensitive._ Tae countered, completely living up to her soulmate's summation of her. _You know._ It didn't help her case any, but the Rider couldn't help but be a little snarky to the usually caustic little changeling.

_**My!**_ The magical creature replied with feigned shock. _**But you are a catty one aren't you? **_

Tae groaned across their link, too sick and too tired to deal with her other half. _What do you want Erevu?_ She whined, holding her head and dragging out her vowels in the closest thing she could get to throwing a tantrum. _Can't you see I want some peace?_

_**You are a Dragon Rider – you manufacture peace for the people, you don't get any yourself.**_ The creature stated simply, his voice dripping with exasperation.

The young woman knew he was right; that she was being childish and immature, knew she wasn't doing anything to help find her teacher, but she didn't feel well and she was tired and hungry and- _'Goddess… I sound like a pampered city brat…' _The realization hit her abruptly, and she hugged her arms about her shins just a bit tighter as if to ward against it.

It was in this position – the same that he had left her in – that Darrow returned, a grim severity playing in the worry lines on his face. Bad news was written plainly in his expression, the downward curl of his normally smiling mouth, the side cast of his eyes and his inability to directly meet her gaze. She knew what he was going to say wasn't going to be good, and all at once she didn't want to hear it. The young woman turned her head away, staring into the fire as if by looking hard enough she would discover the secret of her Ebrithil's whereabouts. The captain only confirmed her fears, telling her that no one had caught any trail of master Rolendis. For the time being, her teacher was still missing somewhere between the Forgotten Isles, and the western coast of Alagaësa.

_**No news is good news.**_Erevu comforted in Tae's mind, his voice lazy and silken like that of a feline.

Briefly, the Rider wondered where her soulmate had wandered off to, but it didn't matter. She could find him easily if she tried, but Treagan was another story entirely. _No news is just an absence of bad news,_ Was her despondent reply.

The entirety of the night might have passed in such a manner – Tae feeling sicker and sicker and more and more sorry for herself, Ninaru scanning the night sky for any sign of their teachers, Erevu off wandering wherever it was that he was wandering, and Darrow flitting between Rider and crew trying to keep everyone happy and suffering as he saw only sorrow and weariness in each face he passed – had the crystalline dragon not spotted something of interest drifting like a ghost through the dark and shadowy midnight sky. The seadog prattled on, making some sort of joke which she only half heard, her mind's eye hundreds of feet above them and an unknown distance away though close enough to see the glow of their fire. She – Ninaru – was following something, another dragon? And it seemed to have a Rider on its back…

_What should we do?_ Ninaru asked, anxiety drifting through their reestablished link, he didn't like being away from his bonded and he especially didn't like going into combat without her.

_Do you recognize them from anywhere?_ Tae asked, the paranoia contagious and spreading.

It was obvious the pair weren't their lost masters, Ninaru would have been able to tell immediately and one of them would have alerted their students to their proximity. No, these two were strangers, and that gave them a threat factor. Still, Tae didn't want to frighten the crew if it wasn't necessary. If they were from the islands then things would be handled easily, they might simply be scouts out patrolling Alagaësa, or maybe Treagan had sent them to find the crew and Naru and herself.

_It isn't a scent I know._ Ninaru's reply demolished any hope of rescue or recovery. It wasn't Treagan. It wasn't anyone from the isles. It was a stranger, and that made them dangerous.

_Naru-_

_I know._

Tae opened her mouth to voice a warning, but was distracted by Darrow's reaction. He was laughing at her? Here he was laughing and Ninaru was about to bring down another dragon? This hardly seemed like the time for levity… The Rider grasped for the previous conversation – what had they been talking about again? – and finally came up with an explanation. She had taken a joke seriously. But that would mean someone was actually joking with her, being friendly, and that didn't _actually_ happen did it? Because she was dirty, she was unclean and impure, and nothing to be friendly to. She was beneath the other students on the islands and a sad predicament to the teachers who were above all. No one joked with her, they shunned her presence and cast her aside like mud from the bottoms of their boots, but no one had ever tried to make her laugh or laughed at something she had said. It was such a shock, such a strange happening, that she briefly forgot what was at stake, his fading laugh absorbing her mind until her thoughts were consumed by the sound. "No one's laughed at me before…" It seemed the only thing she was capable of saying, the only way to explain how much such a moment meant to her. That she had never met someone so kind as to share a joke with her let alone laugh at something she had said. "Not like that anyway…" She stressed it further, hoping he would understand, hoping he would realize what it meant, until Ninaru's desperate voice in her head yanked away her attention.

'_Dammit!'_ She had lost focus of what was going on, enthralled by a nice face and a stupid laugh. Erevu was right, she was little more than a child. The Rider heard her name slip off the captain's lips, but she was already gone from the conversation, her eyes glued on the glint of scales in the moonlight as Ninaru came down hard on the ruby leviathan.

_Ninaru be careful!_ Tae cried as Darrow shoved himself from the sand and raced toward where the two dragons were going down.

Ocean heavy sand rose up in an arching wave as red and white giants reconnected with the earth. They hit hard and she felt a painful twinge in her shoulder where Ninaru tweaked a muscle in his wing. He growled in pain but would let nothing stop him, if anything the ache drove him forward, making the danger this intruder posed a reality rather than just a passing possibility. There came a final snarl, the shrieking peel of claws raking against scales, and then nothing. The two massive beasts had fallen silent aside from the low growls that rumbled in Ninaru's chest and the occasional whispering chatter of scale clinking against scale as the garnet creature shifted and squirmed. Then came the heavy scent of blood on the air and dread filled the young woman like lead.

_Naru-_

_It isn't mine, little one. _Again, her diamond leviathan cut her short, trying to soothe her before she could let the fear take hold. _I clipped his wing in the landing._

Tae nodded, feeling her dragon's eyes on her, and she cast about for the Rider that had fallen. The man was tall, and more than a little disoriented as he stumbled about before finding himself righted at the end of a blade. Such a brutish display seemed a bit unnecessary to the woman, but what did she know of fighting between men. Perhaps this was simply how skirmishes were won in Alagaësa.

Darrow and the other Rider had their little 'I'm-a-bigger-man-than-you-are' match, and Tae studied the pair while she was still able to hide behind the crewmen. He had dark hair that was messily cut, probably done himself though it was short enough to seem all one length unlike Darrow's that chopped from one layer to another. His shoulders were wide and obviously well muscled, you don't come to look like he did simply because you're big boned, and something about his stance spoke to her. Like the whisperings of a long forgotten memory, or a lullaby forever echoed in the back of her mind, it was familiar and strange because of that. He walked and moved with fluid grace, which was to be expected of a Rider, but it was more than this simple agility, he moved with the confidence that anything he asked of his body would occur. He moved knowing he could accomplish anything, no fear or hesitation.

_He moves like master Rolendis._ Ninaru noted, confusion coloring his voice.

_Yet we'd know of them if Ebrithil did._ Tae replied just as puzzled by this similarity.

Like a wolf in sheep's clothing the Rider played at docility, allowing Darrow to throw his weight around in front of his crew without making a move to stop him. Was he concerned for the fight that Ninaru would put up? Or maybe it was his lack of weaponry as Tae then noticed he was missing any sort of sword or dagger though everything about the way he carried himself spat evidence that he was used to such violent play. _'Or at least had been at one time.'_ Then again, maybe it was merely concern for his dragon that held the man in check.

Tae's gaze shifted to the vibrantly hued leviathan, a single bloody drop of sunlight that had fallen through the sky and blossomed into a fiery beast. Her mind split to a strange tangent and she thought to herself, _'If Zeurius were to walk the earth, this is the form he would choose.'_ For surely there could be no greater tribute to the god of fire and the bright sunlight; this dragon blazed internally as his fires stoked, his scales glowing to reveal every hue and shade from the deepest blood to the lightest fiery copper. While the young woman would always think her dragon the most lovely in all the world, this one was certainly a close second.

_**And larger too, look at the size of that thing!**_ Erevu butted into her thoughts without knocking, a sarcastic sort of interest making his voice high with animation.

_Yes, and yet he hasn't broken Naru's hold… _Tae replied suspiciously, wondering what these two were playing at.

This pair had obviously seen more true battles than Tae and Ninaru probably ever would, and they definitely had the advantage of age over the crystalline team, yet the pearly hued dragon still held the garnet captive and he being at most two thirds the size of the blazing gem. Sure her bonded was stronger and larger than most his age due to secrets she had shared with no one, secrets that only furthered her segregation from the other trainees on the Forgotten Islands, but the simple fact stood that age was a major factor in deciding strength between dragons and the older you were the stronger you were more likely to be. It simply didn't make sense that these two interlopers, as capable as they seemed to be at a glance, would be held captive so easily.

_They're toying with us._ Tae observed uneasily. _'Just what are they playing at…?'_

_**Yes it would seem so.**_ Erevu replied in his oh-so-high-and-mighty tone, puffed up with the air of one who thought they knew everything before anyone else. Even though in this case he actually had been the first to notice what lay right before their eyes.

Whispers grew around the young woman, and she again had to play catch up in the conversation as she sought to remember the last thing said._ 'Oh right.'_ The other Rider – what was his name again? Oh yes, Baerd – asked who the dragon belonged to. The crewmen spoke in hushed tones amongst themselves, words that floated around the woman's ears without ever truly registering in them. Who did the dragon belong to? She had half a mind to urge that Darrow claim him, surely the captain would know far better what to do in this sort of situation than she, but Ninaru seemed to balk at the idea of being paired to anyone other than his little bird even if it was only in pretend for a short while. So it was that Tae gathered her strength, or what little the fever hadn't sapped out of her, and fought back the urge to fall over and hold her head until the sledge hammer pounding against her skull would desist with its merciless barrage, and spoke the words, that surprisingly, no one had been ready to hear.

"He's mine."

Heads turned from all around, looking back at her in something like shock. Had they all assumed she was still incapacitated by the fire, or did they not think she would step up for her dragon? She might not have been feeling her strongest but she wasn't weak by any means and more than anything she was very much a Rider and whether they had thought one thing or the other or something completely different and off the wall, she _would_ stand against this stranger when he called her out and she _would_ stand to claim the dragon that was rightfully hers. That confidence had gifted strength to her voice, and the possibility that she never considered for their astonishment at hearing it was the fact that no one had been prepared to hear her sound so normal, that womanly voice steady and unwavering as if illness had never been present at that camp at all.

There was one set of eyes who's focus Tae felt more heavily than others, though. Baerd's gaze bore into her as if he were studying her soul rather than the shell that housed it, and the plain featured girl was reminded of her less than appropriate attire. Her clothes having been tethered to her master with a rare spell taught to him by Eragon himself, she was still robed in the flimsy cloth and thin leather of her sleep clothes. While they had since dried out, the passage from water to shore had done nothing to improve their quality and the girl subtly displayed her embarrassment by burying her toes in the sand. What she wouldn't have given for at least a pair of boots just then.

Clothing aside, the woman's eyes drifted farther down the man's frame and returned when the glint of Darrow's sword caught her gaze. Why was that back again? Did the seaman honestly think the two were going to fly into hostility when they had played along thus far? Still, the reason – or rather lack thereof – for their good natured response at being "captured" in such a mannerless way put her on edge. Maybe it was better to have that sword present and waiting rather than fumble for it later when these strangers turned on them like dogs that had wagged their tail before plunging straight for one's throat. Nevertheless, it bothered her to see her fellow Riders treated so unfairly. In such circumstances _she_ certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to go against such a large company and each one armed with any assortment of weaponry they could handle without being dragged under as their lovely ship had sank. Tae looked at Darrow with her brows furrowed, her expression troubled and unsure as she addressed him in soft tones. "Is that necessary?" Immediately she regretted the way the words might have sounded, as if she were questioning his judgment even though that's exactly what she was doing. Erevu's words from earlier echoed in her thoughts, steeling her resolve on the matter: _'You manufacture peace…'_ Yes, peace, a little of that would do everyone good that night.

The seadog seemed intent on pushing this stranger, however, trying to humiliate him further. At first, dread settle in the pit of the young woman's stomach as she thought he would attack. She mentally ran through a list of every shielding spell Treagan had ever taught her, preparing to throw a barrier around the bodies and minds of the crew and their foolishly headstrong captain. She needn't have worried though, for a glance at her seemed to be all the convincing needed to sway Baerd's mind into continuing his little game of meek obedience. The only way he showed his defiance was through his words, and while Tae didn't take offense to his comment, it seemed to irritate Darrow as if the dark headed man had called them all idiots and then listed obscenities about the captain's mother. There had to be a way to diffuse such a tense situation before things started to spiral out of control. Yet again, her concerns were unneeded and the two men settled their "who's bigger?" dispute without her having to step in and play referee.

Darrow caught her arm as Tae moved to step toward the other Rider, cautious interest plaguing her thoughts. He stooped down a bit so that his lips tickled her ear as he whispered words that did nothing to encourage her bravery. "Lady, I would suggest not trusting this one until we've gotten a chance to test his character further. He has a grin like a barracuda, and seems twice as unpredictable." When he pulled away her eyes followed so that she could look up at his face and he could see the confusion and turmoil such a day had left brewing within her. _'Can't you see I'm drowning? Why would you help to push me under?'_ She couldn't understand his warning as it had been intended, instead receiving it as she was starting to receive everything: personally.

Again, she heard Erevu's words echoed in her mind calling her childish again and again. The truth stung, and Tae found she didn't want to look Darrow in the eye any longer. He seemed bothered by the way she paid no heed to his warning, but that too she bore no desire to acknowledge and she simply continued on to inspect this other Rider.

Baerd's eyes followed her as she approached, watching her like a wild animal watches its trainer with distaste and no small amount of distrust. _Ninaru let his dragon up, we're not going to gain their trust by keeping a hand on their throat._ At her bidding, her bonded loosed his jaw from the other's neck and slowly pulled away, working the muscles around the hinge-like joint back into place as he moved away and skirted around to the woman's side. The man seemed to relax at least a bit once his dragon was liberated, and she waited a moment when it seemed that they were conversing privately.

"Would you like to explain why you knocked my dragon out of the sky?" The man began gruffly, his voice sharp and assuming, pointing blame with an iron finger.

'_Well there goes diplomacy…'_ Tae wanted to argue and fuss, claim it wasn't her fault or anything else, but _she_ had made the call to take him down and now she would have to take responsibility for it. "You were an unfamiliar Rider, forgive me if I was being cautious." She replied, forcing her voice into the cool tones of neutrality, and ignoring the way her vision was beginning to swim before her eyes. How long had it been since she'd been sitting down in peaceable rest by the fire? She couldn't remember.

"Yes, very cautious- You almost took off Thane's wing!" He was leaning over her now, and a few crewmen looked on with displeased aggravation. It wouldn't take much to start something, and it was her place to keep that something from starting.

"_A Rider should encourage peace and tranquility wherever they go, walking with diplomacy as their guide and good sense to mark their tongue."_ An old lesson bubbled up in her memories and thoughts of Treagan made tears scratch in her eyes. Tae blinked quickly to clear them and fought to maintain her resolve, crying wasn't going to solve anything except prove to herself, Darrow, and the rest of the crew that she was nothing more than a child who hadn't been ready to leave the nest. _'Get a hold of yourself.'_ "I apologize that he was injured, would you like assistance in healing him?" The man seemed to blink at her, double taking at the monotony to her voice and the well used sound as if she had practiced saying this in front of a mirror. While Tae hadn't truly gone so far, she might as well have with all the hours she had spent daydreaming of the moment when she would finally get to use some of the skills her Ebrithil had taught her. Of course she had never stopped to think that he wouldn't be there to witness his lessons come to fruition. _'No, don't think about that now. Just keep the peace.'_ Around them the crew began to lose interest and if Tae had been paying attention she would have noticed that only Darrow's eyes remained on her from the other side of the fire built upon their landing.

"Um… No.. I can manage." Baerd replied slowly, watching her warily as if she were some exotic and strange new predator that needed constant supervision lest she lunge for his throat. Interesting, they thought of each other much the same way then.

Ninaru quietly settled into the sand, his wings resting on the warm cushion the shore provided and his belly losing its fiery glow as his excitement subsided and he sunk onto his belly in relaxation. He seemed to think there wasn't much of a threat at present, and even Erevu – wherever the little rascal had run off to as Tae still had no idea where to look for her soulmate – seemed content with the way Tae was handling things. So it was that she followed Baerd to the side of his gem's massive body and inspected the ruby wing from under the man's arm. "It seems shallow enough, should be simple to patch up." She commented, more to test if her voice still held the strength her body had lost or if it had completely fled her by then. Thankfully, there was no waver to her words, her weakness hadn't yet hit her larynx. Baerd offered a grunt in reply, seemingly unconcerned with the young woman's opinion of his dragon's health. "He's quite lovely.." She spoke softer this time, more reverently as if that would gain a more welcoming response and in part it did. Thane hummed with appreciation, the noise resembling the purring of a cat if said cat were made of rocks and it purred by sliding its rocks against one another. It was a massive rumbling of sound, and one that Tae felt through her chest and stomach. At least one of them seemed friendly enough, maybe the dragon was the one who had used reason when faced with not only another leviathan and Rider as an opponent but an entire crew of men who had no doubt seen a fair share of battle.

Baerd paused in his inspection of the wing, glancing to his dragon as the garnet creature hummed at the woman's comment before his gaze could flicker back to Tae. "He said to thank you…" He grumbled before diving back into his work and making as if studying the thin tears in the membrane was taking all of his concentration.

Now it was Tae's turn to be surprised. She hadn't really been expecting any sort of thanks to be given for her compliment so when she received it anyway it was pleasant and strange and new and made her wonder if everyone in Alagaësa was so much more friendlier than those she was used to on her islands. "Oh, yes, of course, though I was just stating what was ob-"

"No," The other Rider cut her off gruffly, his voice guttural and harsh like a growl. "I don't mean for the compliment, I mean…" He paused, rubbing his neck as he searched for the right words. "Don't get me wrong, I could have handled those men easily, but fighting is always such messy business so thank you for getting me out of it."

It could have just been her imagination, but something about the way he said "thank you" made it sound like he was saying "you ruined everything". It was confusing and frustrating, and the woman was struck silent with no idea how to reply to such a comment.

_He isn't exactly the friendliest of characters is he?_ Ninaru toned from where he rested on the beach, the day's events weighing heavily on him. The outcast could tell by the slump of his neck and droop to his eyelids that he was tiring, and after everything that had happened the only stunning thing about it was that he had lasted this long.

_That's putting it nicely…_ Tae grumbled, feeling a bit jilted by such an interaction. Maybe she had been too quick to judge him as "friendly".

Still, she lingered and watched as he went about patching up his dragon, or _trying_ to patch up his dragon as Baerd seemed to be doing more staring and mumbling than working any spells. "Um… Do you need some help?" Tae asked softly, standing on unsteady toes to peer over his shoulder at the rips in Thane's wing that had yet to close.

"What, you think you can do a better job?!" Baerd snapped, suddenly defensive. "Fine! You just go play doctor then." He stepped aside, arms crossed and eyes glaring at her as she stood there staring back at him speechless. "Go on, you're so eager to help, so help." He waved a hand impatiently, ushering her along from a distance.

Tae sighed heavily through tight lips, picking a path past him so that she could easily reach the dragon's wing. "Could you straighten it a bit?" She asked, one side of her mouth curling up slightly though she tried to hide her pleasure that the man's dragon was cooperating so easily. "Thank you."

_Are you sure you should be spending so much energy on these two?_ Ninaru's voice suddenly pushed into her mind again, concerned and unsure. _You're sick, I can feel your weakness from here. You're about to fall over, just go back to the fire and let the man tend to his own dragon. You've done enough for one night, just rest now._

It wasn't that easy though, Tae couldn't simply walk away from helping mend the wreckage her dragon had caused in the first place. She couldn't just let this dragon suffer because his Rider was too incompetent to heal such a trivial injury. The woman knew all too well that something so small would be easily treated in the present, but with the slowness Baerd had seemed content to go about healing it, the entire wing would have been lost before he even thought of the right words to mend it. No, she couldn't walk away until she was certain she had fixed her wrongs. _I'll be fine, if you're that worried you could always help me._

The snow scaled dragon seemed loath to do so though, and the brushes of sapphire along his neck shimmered when he arched it to further lift and pull back his head as a sign of displeasure. _Why would I help such a venomous creature?_ He questioned with slight irritation.

_Naru, I'm surprised at you. You're usually far more willing with your assistance, not to mention that these wounds are your doing. _The woman chastised, raising a hand so that it hovered above the most severe of the tears. Her dragon seemed a bit guilty at the rebuke, but lacked the give he usually displayed when accepting that he was wrong. Still, she felt a small tendril of his strength pass through and lend power to her healing spell. _"Wa__í__se heill."_The mark on her hand began to glow slightly, and before her eyes and those of anyone else who turned their heads to watch, the leathery membrane of Thane's wing slowly began to pull and tug toward each other. The torn flesh reached out and grasped onto its opposite brother, pulling tighter and tighter and tediously knitting back together. Only when Tae was content that it was sufficiently healed for taxing exercise – such as flying – did she allow the channel of energy to cease and the glow of her hand faded away until another could have walked along and not suspected there had ever been a wound to heal. "There, that should do." She said, her voice soft and a bit more airy than usual, as she stood and stepped away, a bit shakier than she had been before working the spell.

Baerd seemed not to notice, however, and simply shoved by to examine her handiwork. "Not bad." He said, quirking a brow in what seemed to be honest satisfaction. Just as quickly as the expression was displayed, it vanished leaving Tae to wonder if it had truly been there to begin with when he continued, "For a girl."

When the other Rider turned back to the girl in question, she couldn't be sure if it was just a trick of the light or if that was the flash of wryness in his eyes. Was he teasing her? Tae's head swam then and her knees wobbled beneath the weight of her body, her limbs suddenly filling with lead. Her vision spun and she saw fit to recognize that no, based on his past treatment of her it was just her imagination and the sickness playing against her better judgment. "I think I need to sit down.." She breathed, blinking rapidly to try and settle the world back into one place rather than dancing around as it seemed intent to do.

_I told you this would happen._ Naru huffed in her mind as he swiftly rose and darted to his Rider's side so slip his snout under her arm before she could honestly collapse. _Oh little one, I don't know why you refuse to listen to me._ The diamond creature said softly, humming to provide what comfort he could.

Darrow stood as they neared the fire, accusation on his tongue before he could even fully take in what was right before his eyes. "What did you do?!" He snarled at Baerd, rushing to Tae's side and gently plucking her from Ninaru's care to carry her back to the fire. "Just rest now, you've done enough for one day." Ninaru took up residence on her away side, curled around her back to give her something to lean on. Warmth blossomed against her shoulders as the fires in his belly churned into life, and the rider snuggled closer to her bonded.

"Now what exactly did you do?!" Darrow returned his attention back to the other man after he had finished fretting over the young woman, and Tae was confused to see that Baerd hadn't left yet.

Why had he stayed? She had helped his dragon, now he could go, he didn't owe them anything else. Yet he remained, and then he was looking over the captain's shoulder as if the light headed seaman were little more than a seagull cawing at him over a meal of fish rather than condemning him on the charges that he had done something to worsen Tae's condition. "Darrow, please." She rasped, a hand holding her head as it throbbed with each word spoken and heard. The captain seemed not to hear her though and continued on his rant, claiming the other Rider to be nothing but trouble and most likely a traitor to be out this far from the islands without papers. "_Darrow_!" Tae forced his name out, trying to make it sound commanding but the only thing it sounded like to her was pitiful. The captain continued and she would have opened her mouth again had Ninaru not abruptly lifted his head from where it had been resting on his chest with his neck curled in a sharp arch to snap his teeth with a loud and echoing _**click!**_ of fang hitting fang and a resonating snarl that silenced the seadog quickly. Both men turned from their argument to look back at the sickly creature vying for their attention. Relief flooded her when Erevu chose that moment to burst through the foliage of the nearby tree line in the large, muscular form of a dire wolf, dragging a downed buck alongside him. "Food." She stated, waving a hand to the delivery service as her soulmate deposited the kill a few yards away from the fire and padded silently to his pair's side. He laid his large head across her lap, looking up at the men with burning gold eyes to go alone with his pelt that had been shaded into the hue of hot pitch. Everything about that steady gaze daring one of them, either of them, to make the wrong move.

The captain was the first to recover, nodding curtly to Tae before moving to see to the cutting and cooking of the venison though she couldn't help but notice the way he kept glancing over his shoulder every few minutes. Baerd hung back, and it wasn't until the young woman's gaze became too much for him to bear that he approached and came to stand a few feet away. "Well, thank you for the help, but I'll be going now.." He claimed, casting his gaze from one side to the other as if leaving weren't really what he wanted to do.

"Are you hungry? There's plenty here for everyone if you would like to join our fire." Tae offered, ignoring his words of farewell, pretending instead that they had never been uttered.

She wanted him to stay, she wanted to figure out who he was and what he was doing out on the shore so late at night. Was he from the islands? Or was he from before the academy had been founded, before Eragon had begun teaching Riders to hone their skills for good? Maybe he hadn't heard of the Forgotten Islands yet, too consumed in himself and his own problems to pay attention to the world outside of those shallow boundaries; still he seemed too…aged to not know something. _'At least enough to heal his dragon's wing…'_ Something was strange about this man, and she wanted to figure out what. Even if every word out of his mouth made her want to hit him until he agreed to act civilized, not even caring that doing so wouldn't exactly make her the most civilized person either. More than anything though, she wondered if maybe he had seen or heard anything of another Rider who was looking for a lost pupil.

The pleading and hope must have shone in her eyes for it wasn't long before Baerd groaned in resignation and nodded, begrudgingly plopping down where he stood. "Fine, I'll eat your damn food, but I'm gone by tomorrow. Got it?" He sounded angry, but something about him seemed…relieved in a way.

Tae didn't much care, she was just glad she would get the chance to worm some answers out of him. Unfortunately, the fates had other plans, and it wasn't long before Ninaru's humming and the warmth of her dragon's fires smoldering in his belly coupled with the fur blanket offered by her soulmate had lulled her into a sleep filled with strange and incomprehensible imaginings.

She dreamed she was a bird, flighty and anxious and… Hurt? Her body ached and screamed of pain, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get back into the air again. And all the while there was a desperation present that forced her to try and fly again and again, the knowledge that only while she was airborne would she be safe, present and haunting in the back of her mind. In her dream, someone was reaching out a hand to her and when she reached back to them she struggled to close a gap across a distance that seemed to stretch and stretch until for every inch closer they seemed to fall an inch and a half short. Tae tried to see who it was, but every time she would look at his face, choppy hair would fall in front of his eyes, masking his identity. He reached further for her, and desperation urged her to do the same, every second a foreboding darkness closing in, its fingers grasping nearer and nearer, just waiting to drag her under and lock her in its oblivion.

Without warning, the ground shattered beneath her feet, and the pain in her wings kept her from flying to safety. Down, Tae fell, down, down, down; until the darkness swallowed her up.


End file.
